


robron flufftober 2020

by softlass27



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Fluff, Flufftober 2020, Happy Husbands, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:08:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 30,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26751115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softlass27/pseuds/softlass27
Summary: My collection of Robron prompts for Flufftober :)
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Comments: 234
Kudos: 362
Collections: Flufftober2020





	1. in the shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 1. In the shadows

_Come on a ghost walk,_ they said. _It’ll be fun,_ they said.

Aaron tipped his head back and let out a whine. “I’m so bored.”

“Yes, you’ve said.”

“Are _you_ not bored?”

“Yep. But we’re here now.”

Aaron sighed and continued trudging along the path, hand wrapped tightly around Robert’s, mainly in an effort to avoid tripping over in the shadows of the night. Up ahead of them, Marlon and Bob continued nattering away, completely in their element spinning tall tales about ghouls and ghosts of deceased residents to the hapless group of people who’d agreed to come along.

Unfortunately, Aaron and Robert had somehow ended up agreeing to be part of said group (mainly to get Marlon to leave him alone) and were now trailing at the back of the small crowd. This was an hour of Aaron’s life that he’d never get back. Fucking Halloween, honestly.

“M’surprised they haven’t mentioned Hannah Pearson,” Robert said thoughtfully.

Aaron tuned out Bob’s exaggerated story about a headless farmer who was said to roam the field next to them. “Who’s Hannah Pearson when she’s at home?”

“Oh, have I not told you about her before?”

“Nope.”

“She was my great great great… great Grandma?” Robert frowned, clearly doing some quick maths in his head. “Yeah, four times great grandmother.”

“Why would she be hauntin' the place?”

“Because she got hanged here back in the day, in 18-something. She was only a teenager, I think.”

Aaron’s eyebrows shot up. “Sorry, _hanged_? As in… _executed_?”

Robert hummed.

“What _for_?”

“Murder,” Robert said casually, swinging their hands back and forth. “She was supposed to have poisoned some woman in the village who’d pissed her off – put it in her tea, apparently. Whether she actually did, I have no clue. Anyway, they found her guilty and she was executed by hanging.”

Aaron blinked. “How the hell d’you know all this?”

“My Gran told me the story when I was a kid one Halloween, Hannah was her side of the family. Said her ghost could still be seen wandering around the village, and if she offered you any tea, you had to run in the opposite direction. I don’t think I slept for a week.”

“Well that’s… horrifying.”

“Yeah, but at least I got the chance to tell Andy the story when he came to live with us. He was so frightened he nearly wet himself, the wuss,” Robert grinned, looking entirely too delighted at the memory. “Maybe I’ll pass it on to Seb when he’s a bit older.”

“Yes Robert, please go ahead and give our son terrible nightmares, that’s exactly what we need.”

A particularly chilly gust of wind blew across the fields with a loud howl, tree branches rustling above them and casting ominous shadows across the landscape. Aaron shivered.

“Scared?” Robert asked into his ear, and Aaron could just _hear_ the smirk in it.

“No I’m not _scared_ , I’m bloody freezing!” At Robert’s look of amusement, Aaron scowled. “I’m _not_.”

“It’s okay,” Robert released his hand to wrap an arm around Aaron and pull him into the warmth of his side. “I’ll protect you from the ghosts. Then when this is over, we can go home and curl up in front of a bad horror film with a nice warm brew.”

“If you think I’m letting you make me a tea after what you’ve just told me, you’ve got another think coming.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find Hannah's entry on the wiki here: https://emmerdale.fandom.com/wiki/Hannah_Elizabeth_Pearson


	2. comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 – comfort

Over the years, Aaron has gotten used to sharing a bed with a restless sleeper. Whether it’s sharp kicks to the legs, rough tossing and turning, or nonsensical muttering, he mostly manages to remain unconscious through Robert’s many troublesome nighttime habits.

Except for the sleep paralysis.

Aaron doesn’t know how he always senses it whenever it comes, why he always wakes up just in time to catch it. Maybe it’s good luck, maybe it’s his body instinctively reacting to Robert’s becoming unnaturally rigid next to it, maybe it’s just husband’s intuition. Whatever the reason, he’s bloody glad that he does.

He opens his eyes in the darkness of their bedroom, blindly reaching out to flick on the bedside lamp, and turns to his left. Robert’s entire body is stiff as a board, hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. His laboured breathing and wide-open eyes give away how panicked he is.

“Hey,” Aaron lays a gentle hand on Robert’s shoulder, only getting a small whine in reply. Robert’s lips are tightly sealed shut, so that’s the most he’ll get out of him until this is over. “It’s okay, your brain just need a minute to catch up. You’re alright.”

Another small noise and a few quick blinks. Aaron keeps stroking Robert’s shoulder, sitting up with him while they wait for it to pass. It always does.

*

The first time Aaron had witnessed Robert’s sleep paralysis firsthand was just a few weeks after they’d gotten together properly. He’d had no idea what the fuck was going on; he'd never even _heard_ _of_ the condition, let alone seen someone experience it. 

So when he'd awoken to see Robert lying unnaturally still on his side of the bed, fingers twitching and eyes darting around the room, clearly awake but unable to respond to Aaron’s increasingly confused questions… Aaron had been scared out of his mind. He’d been literally seconds away from ringing for an ambulance, half-convinced his boyfriend was having some kind of stroke, before Robert had snapped out of it and begun moving again, letting out a shuddering breath as he grabbed Aaron’s hand to make him put down the phone.

Despite having been the one who’d actually just experienced the waking nightmare, Robert had ended up being the one needing to calm Aaron down.

“It was just sleep paralysis, I’m fine,” he insisted, running a shaky hand through his hair.

“Sleep… what?” 

“Oh, er – okay, it’s kind of hard to explain.”

Robert had described the condition as best he could, mumbling things about the brain and sleep cycles that Aaron couldn’t really follow at 3 o’clock in the morning.

“Sometimes I see or hear things, sometimes I just can’t move for a few minutes or it feels like there’s a weight on my chest. There’s not much I can do about it, it’s mostly just down to stress or being overtired, I think,” he’d eventually finished, offering Aaron a sheepish half-smile. “Suppose I should’ve warned you about it. Sorry if I scared you, I know it’s a bit weird.” 

“Don’t be daft… m’just glad you weren’t dying,” Aaron had smiled back tentatively, his heart rate slowly returning to normal as he realised that there wasn't something seriously wrong. “How long’ve you had it?”

“Since I was 14, on and off,” Robert had said quietly, fiddling with the drawstrings of his pyjama bottoms. Aaron knew what event had cast a dark shadow over Robert’s life at that age, and didn’t say anything further. 

“It’d mostly faded by the time I reached my twenties but, uh… ” Robert hesitated, pressing his lips together uncomfortably. “It’s come back since last autumn.”

_Since I got shot._

He didn’t say it, but Aaron had heard the words anyway.

*

Several years and a couple of weddings later, Aaron no longer panics like he did the first time. He’s done enough online research and witnessed Robert go through it enough times to keep calm. It’s hell to watch, but there isn’t much he can do except remind Robert that he’s there and try to make him feel as safe as he possibly can.

Robert had once told him that the few times Chrissie had woken up while it was happening, she’d scarpered to sleep in the other room and left him to it, too freaked out to stay any longer than she had to. The next time Aaron had seen Robert’s ex-wife in the pub, he’d glared at her so hard she’d ended up nervously moving to sit further away from him.

Staying by his husband’s side feels like the _least_ Aaron can do.

Robert’s eyes suddenly fly towards the corner of the room and he makes a faint noise of distress. His shallow breathing speeds up rapidly, short bursts of air coming from his nostrils. Shit, this must be a bad one. 

Aaron darts out of bed to switch the bright ceiling light on, before quickly returning to Robert’s side.

“Oi, look at me,” he cups a hand around Robert’s tightly clenched jaw, forcing his gaze to shift towards him. “Whatever you’re seeing, I promise you it’s not real, it can’t hurt you. There’s nothing there, it’s just you and me.”

Robert makes another pained sound, eyes darting back and forth between Aaron and the corner.

“You’re okay, it’ll be over soon. Just breathe, Rob, I’m right here.” 

A few agonising seconds later, Robert twitches, gasps, and his entire body comes to life. He springs up into sitting position, scrambling back until he’s pressed against the headboard, gulping desperately for air.

It’s over.

Aaron wraps an arm across his shoulders and pulls him in, holding him until his breathing eventually slows.

“Not had one that bad in a while.” He presses a kiss to Robert’s head, running gentle fingers up and down his goose-bumped arm. “Wanna talk about it?”

Robert shakes his head against Aaron’s shoulder, sagging down to let him take his weight. “No,” he eventually croaks. “Thought I saw… doesn’t matter, it was just creepy shit.”

“The worst kind of shit,” Aaron tries to get a smile out of him, mentally sighing with relief when he succeeds. 

“Sorry I woke you.” He says it every time, and Aaron always says the same thing back with an exasperated shake of his head.

“Don’t be daft, you know I'd rather be up with you. D'you need anything? Tea, glass of water?”

“Can we just stay like this for a bit?” 

Aaron pulls the duvet up to cover their shoulders, cocooning them in its warmth. “Course we can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like with all the issues Robert has with sleeping in canon, there's no way he doesn't also suffer from the terrifying nightmare that is sleep paralysis.


	3. but you said

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3 - but you said

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a continuation of chapter nine in my "Robron prompts and ficlets", but it's not necessary to read that. All you need to know is this is based on the spoilers of the Chas/Al affair :)

“So uh… ” Aaron sidles up to Robert while he’s cooking tea, snaking both arms around his waist. “You remember how you love me?”

Robert drops his knife on the chopping board and twists around to stare down at his husband, suspicions already raised. “Yes… it rings a bell. Why?”

“No reason,” Aaron blinks up at him with a innocent look that’s not dissimilar to the one Seb gives them when he’s been caught eating a biscuit before mealtime. “Just… remember that, okay?”

“What’ve you done?”

“It’s nothin’ bad! Except… I sort of… toldPaddyhecouldstaywithus.” 

“Excuse me?” Aaron’s already starting to make his escape, but Robert grabs him by the arm and pulls him back. “Oh no, you don’t. You told Paddy he could _what_?”

“It won’t be for long.”

“I agree, it won’t be any time at all. Because it’s not happening.”

“Look, he doesn’t have anywhere else to go. Marlon has a full house, there’s no room for him there.”

“Not my problem.” Robert can genuinely, _sincerely_ , think of nothing worse than having Paddy Kirk for a houseguest. He only _just_ got rid of Cain, for Christ’s sake. “Why’s he moved out anyway? Your mum’s the one who slept with someone else, isn’t the cheater the one who’s supposed to get kicked out?”

Aaron raises an eyebrow. “You’d rather live with my mother, then?”

“No thanks, I already did my time.”

“No need to make it sound like it was a prison sentence,” Aaron fires back with a roll of his eyes. There’s no response Robert can offer that won’t end with him sleeping on the sofa, so he keeps his mouth shut. “Mum has to stay in the pub, it’s where she works. And to be honest, I don’t think Paddy ever really liked living there, he didn’t want to stay.”

“And now he’s got his sights set on our place, does he?”

“Only for a few days!” Aaron says quickly. “Just until he gets himself sorted and finds somewhere more permanent. Look, he took me in when no one else would, the least I can do is return the favour for a couple of nights. Please? For me?”

Robert sighs and takes a moment to contemplate the things he does for the sake of his marriage. 

“Fine,” he says through gritted teeth. “A few days.”

Aaron’s face lights up and he pecks him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“When’s he coming, then?”

“In about… ” Aaron glances at the clock. “Five minutes?” 

“Wha – _five minutes_ , are you kidding me? Aaron, get back here. _Aaron!_ ”

*

Day One. It’s been just over twelve hours and Robert’s at the end of his tether. 

The man sitting across from him at the kitchen table slurps his tea disgustingly loudly, chewing with his mouth open and getting toast crumbs all over himself and the table. Robert’s three-year-old has better table manners.

“So, you and me?” He says to Aaron with his mouth full, grinning widely, no sign of his misery from the night before. “Roomies again, eh?”

His high-pitched giggle makes Robert miss Cain. At least he’d had the decency not to talk during breakfast. Or _at all_ , really.

Aaron gives him a fond look from where he’s buttering his own toast (Robert’s fresh sourdough loaf is going to be gone by tomorrow, he just knows it) and nods. “Just like the old days.”

“Until you get your own place sorted, of course,” Robert says loudly from behind his newspaper, an outwardly pleasant smile plastered across his face. “How’s that going, by the way? Making time for flat viewings in between your appointments with pregnant cows?”

The grin drops from Paddy’s face and he fixes Robert with the same scowl he’s been levelling at him for the past six years. 

“Haven’t found anywhere yet,” he mutters moodily. 

“But there’s no rush,” Aaron’s quick to add, sitting at the table next to him. “You’ve been through a lot these last few days, you can stay as long as you need.”

Paddy nods morosely, face like a wet weekend. “I just… I can’t believe she – that this has happened. I thought – I just didn’t see – see it coming.”

Funny, Robert saw it coming a mile off.

“Me neither,” Aaron pats Paddy’s arm, already shooting Robert a look that clearly says _don’t you dare_.

And just like that, Paddy’s taking off his glasses and blubbering into his napkin, like he had been for most of last night. Rambling on and on about _shock_ and _betrayal_ and how he _just doesn’t know how he’s meant to get through this_.

“Well,” Robert closes his newspaper. “How did you get through it the last time she cheated on you?”

Paddy is stunned into silence. He gapes at Robert like a fish, face torn between shock and outrage.

“Don’t you need to be getting to work now, Rob?” Aaron asks, exasperation radiating off him in waves.

“Suppose so.” He leans over to plant a kiss on Aaron’s lips, trying hard to ignore the pitiful sniffling next to him. “Love you.”

“Love you, too. See you in a bit.”

No sooner is Robert in the car, he gets a text from Aaron.

_You’re a menace._

He chuckles and set off for work.

*

“Please tell me you’re not here for food,” Victoria begs when Robert turns up at the pub later that day. “Marlon’s decided that since Chas has _A_ – cheated on his best mate, and _B_ – slept with the man who ruined his marriage to Jessie, he doesn’t want to see her right now. Which means he’s not coming into work, _which means_ that muggins here is now stuck holding the fort in the kitchen all day.”

She throws her hands in the air in frustration, face sweaty and chef’s hat askew, and any inclination Robert had had to ask for some chips quickly vanishes.

“No ta, just came for a drink.”

“Oh, thank God. Right, can’t stop, too many pies to make.” Without further ado, she turns on her heel and scurries back towards the kitchen.

“Stellar customer service skill as always, Vic!” Robert calls after her, just as Chas herself appears in her place. “Chastity,” Robert smiles and rests his elbows on the bar.

His mother-in-law watches him warily. People have been sending filthy looks and snide comments her way all week (Priya and the Sharmas have more friends and influence in the village than she could ever dream of), so she’s somewhat on edge.

“What can I get you?”

“Just a pint, please?”

She nods shortly and grabs a glass.

“So… how’s Al?”

Chas stops pulling the pint, tired and baggy eyes narrowing at him. “Excuse me?”

“Just making conversation.”

“Well, I’d rather you didn’t.”

“Understood.”

She huffs and continues filling his glass in silence.

“So should Aaron and I put his name on your Christmas card this year or – ?”

Chas slams the pint down and storms into the back, leaving a smirking Charity to take his money.

“You’re a brave man, Robert Sugden,” Moira grins from where she’s perched further down the bar.

“It’s because of her that I’m stuck with _Paddy_ snoring in my spare room, I’m beyond caring.” He takes a gulp of his pint and heads in her direction. “Besides, I’ve gotta get my kicks from somewhere. Chas Dingle making a mistake like the rest of us mere mortals, I couldn’t resist.”

He can’t pretend he isn’t enjoying everyone getting a stark reminder of just how much of a hypocrite Aaron’s mum can be – he’s had to deal with it since the day he and Aaron got together – longer, even. She may act civil enough for her son’s sake, but Robert knows that Chas has never quite trusted him – not even after they got married properly – and that she was always looking for an excuse to use his past against him. Never mind all the wrong _she’d_ done and the hurt she’d caused people over the years.

“Ah well, can’t say I blame you,” Moira’s smile dims into something more contemplative. “After all the grief she gave me for what happened with Cain last year, I’m tempted to get a small dig in myself.” 

Christ, at least Robert's not the only one. How many times has someone in the village had to hear Chas Dingle gleefully whip out her classic mantra from behind the bar? _Once a cheat, always a cheat._

Moira shakes her head, face brightening as she holds out her glass. “Well, here’s to us mere mortals, then.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Robert clinks his glass to hers. “Cheers.”

*

“House rules.”

On Day Two, Robert slaps a piece of paper down in front of Paddy, startling him so badly he nearly drops his phone.

“S-sorry what?”

“House rules. For you to follow while you’re staying here.” 

Paddy picks it up tentatively. “It’s… laminated.”

“It’s Rob’s latest toy at work, don’t question it,” Aaron scoffs from the sofa. “He laminated our shopping list last week.”

“Take the recycling out on Tuesdays… don’t touch Robert’s coffee pods…no talking to Aaron while Top Gear’s on… only _ten minutes_ in the bathroom?”

“Yeah, what of it?”

“B-but you two have an en-suite! I’m the only one using the bathroom, why does it matter how long I take?”

“The rules are there to be followed, not questioned.”

“But – ”

“Do you want our rent-free spare bedroom or not?”

“…Yes.”

“Well then.”

*

“So then I told the bloke,” Aaron says from his perch on the kitchen counter, banging his feet against the cupboard. “Either he bloody well takes what was agreed in the contract, or I’m gonna tell every scrap contact I know to never work with him again. He changed his tune pretty quickly after that.”

“Absolutely ruthless, I’m so proud,” Robert grins, before whacking Aaron’s leg with the wooden spoon in his hand. “Stop that.”

Aaron rolls his eyes, but brings his swinging feet to a stop. “What’re we havin’ for tea, then?”

“Stir fry do you?”

“Mmm, yeah. With… ” Aaron picks up a packet of quinoa, frowning at the label. “Kwin-oh?”

Robert stares at him. “I think the word you’re looking for is _quinoa_.”

“Whatever, it’s a daft spelling.”

Robert plucks the packet out of his grasp. “You’re lucky you’re fit.”

“You’re lucky I have a thing for pretentious arseholes.”

“Oh, it’s like that, is it?”

“Mmhm.”

Aaron moves half a second before Robert does, flying off the counter and dashing away just as Robert makes a grab for him. He chases his child of a husband around the kitchen a few times, knocking into the chairs and sending a bag of peppers careering to the floor before he manages to get hold of him.

“Rob, no, don’t!” Aaron cackles as Robert’s fingers dig into his ribs, tickling him mercilessly. “Stop, stop it, I’m sorry, stoooppp!”

They both laughing so loudly, they almost miss the awkward cough that comes from the living room. Robert moves his hands from Aaron’s sides to rest on the small of his back, as they turn their heads to see Paddy watching them uncomfortably from the sofa. 

Honestly, Robert had forgotten he was there.

“Alright, Paddy?” Aaron asks breathlessly, hands travelling up Robert’s chest to rest on his shoulders.

“Fine,” Paddy says shortly, still watching them with a mixture of annoyance, discomfort and… something else that Robert can’t quite put his finger on. He’s not sure he likes it. “Just… ” he wafts a hand in the direction of his laptop. “Trying to find a solicitor so I can sort out access to Evie. Could do with a bit of peace and quiet.”

“Well it’s very quiet in the spare room,” Robert offers, wincing when Aaron pinches the side of his neck.

“Ignore him, Paddy. Sorry, we’ll keep the noise down, let you concentrate.”

“No, actually I think I will go up to my room,” Paddy gathers his things and heads for the stairs. “Would rather be on my own anyway.”

As soon as he’s out of sight, Aaron rolls his eyes at Robert.

“I know he’s a bit of a pain, but would it kill you to cut him some slack?”

“Er, we shouldn’t have to ‘keep the noise down’ in our own house. It’s not like you’re still a teenager, Aaron!”

Aaron quirks a half-smile at him. “Dunno, might be sort of fun. Waiting ’til the grownups are gone so we don’t get caught, sneaking out later so we can be alone.”

“Oh yeah?” Robert raises an eyebrow. “The _teenage romance_ thing doing it for you, is it?”

“Well it’s not like I got to do much of it the first time around, what with, y’know, not being out.” Aaron leans in to whisper in Robert’s ear. “Fancy goin’ for a snog at the cricket pavilion after tea?”

Robert shivers and turns to nuzzle at Aaron’s neck. “Make it a hand job and you’re on.”

*

That unreadable look that Paddy had given them, the one that had put Robert on edge, keeps making a reappearance. 

It happens when Robert flops down on top of Aaron where he’s stretched out on the sofa, bumping his head against Aaron’s chest until he starts running slow fingers through his hair. They stay curled up together like that for the rest of the night while they watch TV, and more than once, Robert spots Paddy out of the corner of his eye. Just… staring at them with his brow furrowed, mouth twisting with displeasure. He almost looks... angry?

He does it again when Robert presses Aaron’s morning coffee into his hands with a warm kiss, and again when they talk excitedly about all the stuff they’re planning to do with Seb when he next comes to stay, and _again_ basically every time they show the slightest bit of affection to each other.

“Oh, did you manage sort out the electricity bill yesterday?” Robert asks Aaron on the morning of Day Four.

Aaron opens his mouth to answer, but Paddy’s incredulous scoff cuts him off.

Robert blinks at him. “Something funny?”

“No, it’s just… _Aaron_ doing the bills?” That high-pitched laugh of his returns, this time accompanied by a series of snorts. “There’s a sentence I never thought I’d hear.”

“Why not?”

“Well… it’s not really your thing, is it Aaron?”

“Pretty sure dealing with bills is something most adults are capable of dealing with,” Robert says, eyebrows raised. 

“What, you think I just make Rob sort out everything for me?” Aaron adds with a slightly bemused laugh.

The mirth in Paddy’s eyes has dimmed rapidly, his giggling taking a more nervous turn. “No, that’s not – I mean – I’ve just never seen it, I suppose. You never had much interest in that side of things when you lived with me.”

“When I was 18?” Aaron’s brow crinkles in confusion. “I think I’ve grown up a bit since then, Paddy.”

“Oh, you _definitely_ have,” Robert murmurs with a wink, snickering when Aaron whacks him on the arm. “So, electricity bill?”

“Yeah, I finally managed to speak to an actual human on the phone, for once. Got ’im to refund all of the money they overcharged us.”

“Brilliant, can finally tick that off the to-do list.” Robert kisses him lightly. “My hero.”

Aaron snorts. “Alright, soft lad.”

There’s that odd look again, Robert can just sense it. He doesn’t know what Paddy’s problem is but he doesn’t care, not really. Not when he’ll be out of their hair sooner rather than later.

*

It all comes to a head on Day Six. Frankly, Robert’s amazed they made it almost a whole week without someone snapping.

It’s early evening, Robert washing the dishes and humming along to the radio while he waits for Aaron to bring a takeaway home. Paddy sits at the kitchen table, sausage-like fingers bashing at his laptop keyboard so slowly it’s making Robert’s eye twitch.

There’s a loud sigh from behind him, shortly followed by some frustrated whispering. Followed by another, louder, sigh.

Robert grits his teeth.“Something wrong?”

“The flat I was meant to be viewing tomorrow, someone’s just flippin’ taken it.”

“Ah. Well, something will turn up soon.” _Please let it turn up soon._

“This isn’t fair,” Paddy mutters a moment later, bitterness dripping from every word as he slams the laptop closed. “I’m the injured party here, why should _I_ have to be the one who ends up homeless?”

“Didn’t think you’d want to stay at the pub, Aaron said you were never keen on it.”

“I’m not,” Paddy snaps. “But it’s the principle of it!”

“Ah, the principle. Of course, what was I thinking?” 

“You know what, Sugden?” Robert wipes his hands on a dishcloth and turns to see Paddy looking at him with narrowed eyes. “I have had just about _enough_ of you and your attitude.”

Christ, it’s almost like living on the farm again.

“Well if you don’t like it, you know where the door is.” 

“Oh, I bet you’d just love that. Although if I wasn't forced to be here, then you wouldn’t be able to rub it in my face anymore, would you?” 

Robert stares at him, baffled. He turns off the radio. “…You’ve lost me. Rub what in your face?”

“Oh, come on, you think I don’t know what you’re doing?”

“Paddy, I genuinely have no idea what you’re on about.”

“You!” Paddy jerks to his feet, shoving his chair back so hard it almost tips over. “You, showing off all the time, shoving it in my face like you’re trying to prove that you’re this perfect, loved-up couple when I’ve lost – when I’m going through… ”

Robert can honestly say he’s never met a man as pathetic as the one stood on front of him.

“Is _that_ what the funny looks have been about?” His jaw nearly drops when Paddy just glares, confirming his suspicions. “So what, you’re just… I don’t know, _jealous_ that Aaron and I have a good relationship while yours has crashed and burned – ”

“Jealous?!” Paddy splutters, his words angry and halting. “Of _you_? Don’t you – acting as if you’re better – don’t you _dare_ look down on me and my relationship with Chas.”

“What, like you’ve looked down on me all these years?”

“That’s different, _entirely_ different.”

“Oh yeah?” Robert sneers, Paddy’s sheer audacity ruffling his feathers. “How’s that, then?”

“Because you – you're _Mr Shifty_. Doesn’t matter how hard you try with the ‘nice guy’ act, you always have been and you always will be,” Paddy snarls, teeth bared. “And fine, maybe you and Aaron are happy now, but relationships are hard work, even strong ones can fall apart just like _that_. You don’t know anything about – when you’ve been through something like what Chas and I have, losing a child – you have _no idea_.”

“No, I don’t. I can’t imagine. But that doesn’t give you the right to have a go at me and accuse me of all sorts in my own house.”

“It does when what I’m saying is true. And I’m not about to sit here and listen to a lecture from _another cheater_ like you.” Paddy smirks nastily, folding his arms triumphant. “If there’s one thing I’ve learnt these last few days, is that those sorts of people don’t change, not really.”

“Is this the moment where I bring up Tess, or…?” 

And that, apparently, is the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

“How dare you?” Paddy hisses, apoplectic with rage. “Standing there on your high horse, like you think we’ve all just forgotten what you are. Well, maybe other people have, but I definitely haven’t.”

He jabs a vicious finger in Robert’s direction.

“You’re the same smug, arrogant piece of _scum_ you always were, and eventually Aaron will see that for himself," his voices raises to a shout, spit flying from his mouth. “Maybe things between the two of you are fine now, but they won’t be forever. It’s only a matter of time before you’ll screw up again, just like you always do, and the wool will fall from his eyes. He’ll figure out that he can do better than you.”

“Will I, now?”

There’s a long, ringing silence, and Robert and Paddy both turn to see Aaron standing in the living room, coat and shoes still on and a takeaway bag dangling from his hand. The look in his eyes is as dark as thunder. 

“A-aaron I – ” Paddy stammers, face paling. "I wasn’t… ”

“You weren’t what? Havin' a go at my husband and slagging off my marriage behind my back?” 

“I – that wasn’t what I was trying to do – ”

“No? Because it definitely sounded like it.” Aaron tosses the takeaway bag on the coffee table, looking livid. “So what, Paddy, not only do you think I’m rubbing my marriage in your face, you also think I’m trapped in a relationship with some master manipulator and I’m just too thick to notice?”

“No!” Paddy lurches towards him, stopping in his tracks when Aaron takes a swift step back. “No, of c-course not, I meant him, not you. I just – Aaron, he started it! He was winding me up!”

“I’m sure he was,” Aaron looks at Robert and his glare briefly softens into fond irritation, before his gaze snaps back to Paddy. “But that’s no excuse to say any of what you just did. Can you blame Robert for winding you up sometimes, when that's how you treat him?”

“I’m just – I’m just looking out for you.”

“That’s not what that was,” Aaron purses his lips together before sighing, hands on his hips. “You know what, Paddy, I think you’d better find somewhere else to stay from now on. The B&B probably has a room free.”

“What?” Paddy gapes at him, shocked. “Aaron please, I’m sorry, I won’t say anything else, I swear – ”

“No,” Aaron cuts him off. “Seb’s coming tomorrow, and I don’t really want him around this sort of atmosphere. It was gonna be a bit cramped with the four of us anyway.”

“But – but you said I could stay as long as I want.” 

“I did, but that was before you threw my hospitality back in my face. Besides, if it’s _so hard_ to watch me and Robert be happy together, then the Mill definitely isn’t the place for you.”

Paddy gawks at him for a moment, before scowling and trying a different tack. “So that’s it, you’re taking _his_ side over mine?” 

He gestures to Robert without actually looking at him. Robert would be offended if he wasn’t feeling so smug right now.

“ _He_ is my husband, and I'll thank you to remember that,” Aaron all but growls, not giving an inch, and Robert feels something warm swoop through his chest. “Now pack your stuff and get out, before I say something I regret.”

Paddy’s shoulders slump, as it clearly hits him that no amount of begging or guilt-tripping is going to work in his favour. “Fine.”

He lumbers up the stairs, leaving Robert and Aaron alone. They gravitate towards each other, meeting next the sofa.

“I’m sorry he said all that stuff, it wasn’t okay,” Aaron murmurs, thumbs stroking gently over Robert’s forearms.

“S’alright,” Robert dips his head, shooting him a slightly lopsided smile. “It’s not like I haven’t heard worse from him, I’m used to it.”

“You shouldn’t have to be,” Aaron frowns unhappily. “I didn’t think he still felt that way about you – about us. Not anymore.” 

There’s nothing Robert can really say to make it better, so he settles for pressing a soft kiss to Aaron’s forehead. Eventually, Aaron tips his head back to look him in the eye.

“Well, all that stops now,” he says firmly, face full of resolve. “I’m not havin’ it.”

They stay pressed together until Paddy reappears with his bags, mouth downturned.

“I’ll be off, then… ” He stares at Aaron, most likely waiting for him to say something, to tell him he’s sorry and he’s changed his mind. “See if I can find somewhere to sleep tonight.”

“Right, good luck with that,” is all Aaron says, jaw set and arms folded. “Can see yourself out, can’t you?”

Paddy blinks, before looking down at the floor and nodding. He trudges out the door, leaving not with a bang, but a whimper.

There’s a brief silence, before Aaron moves to pick up the takeaway bag and gives Robert a small smile. “So… curry?”

*

Later that night, as Robert walks along the landing, he pauses outside the spare bedroom. He pokes his head in and flicks on the light, grinning at the blissfully empty space. Not a single relative in sight.

“Rob!” Aaron calls from their bedroom. “You comin’ to bed anytime soon or do I have to start without you?”

“Coming!” 

Robert flicks off the light and closes the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I know that Victoria doesn't work at the Woolpack anymore, but I didn't remember until I'd already written her scene, and I quite like it, so just go with it!


	4. wounded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4 – Wounded

“Okay,” Robert scoops Seb under the armpits and holds him up in front of the open kitchen cupboards. “See what you can find.”

Seb starts rummaging through the packets and tins, practically sticking his entire head in to reach for the items at the back.

“This?” He pulls out a dented tin of kidney beans. Robert checks the label and grimaces – eight months out of date. “Sorry bud, no good for us _or_ the festival. What about that bag of pasta? It’s the healthy wholegrain stuff, I can never get you and Daddy to eat it anyway.”

Seb yanks the bag out and tosses it into the small cardboard box on the counter, before diving back into the cupboard. The front door slams and Robert twists his neck to see Aaron walking in.

“Hey,” he calls, readjusting Seb in his grip.

“Hiya,” Aaron smiles and comes over, surveying the state of the kitchen. “What’re you two up to?”

“Harvest Festival emergency!” Seb says as he examines a tin of spaghetti. “We need food.”

“Laurel’s asked if we can bring any extra donations for the celebration thing at the village hall later, apparently they need more if we’re gonna beat last year’s numbers.” Robert explains, gesturing with his shoulder to the pile of vegetables on the table. “We’ve got plenty fresh food, now I’m just seeing if this one can find us some more long-lasting stuff.” 

“The wall’s still not high enough,” Seb adds, referring to the village hall’s wall of canned good that had been steadily growing taller all week. “This one?” He pulls out a tin of peaches that Robert has no memory of purchasing. He checks the date.

“Yep, that’s a good find. In it goes.” He moves Seb to hover over the cardboard box, so he can drop the tin in it more gently than he’d done with the pasta.

“Look at you, gettin’ involved in community events,” Aaron smirks, sliding his hands around Robert’s waist as Seb pokes through the last few things. “Must be your age. You gonna sign up for a bingo night next?” 

“Wow, I’m wounded. Thanks for that.”

“That’s it, Daddy,” Seb says with a satisfied nod, leaning out of the cupboard empty-handed. “No more.”

“You sure?” Aaron reaches for a packet of Seb’s favourite sweets. “What about these?”

“No!” Seb cries and snatches it back, before hesitating as he looks at the box. “Unless… they really need them… then I guess it’s alright.” He holds the packet out reluctantly. 

Aaron laughs and pushes it back into Seb’s hands, pressing a kiss to his head. “It’s okay mate, you keep them.”

They bag up the fruit and veg, Aaron carrying two on each arm (all those hours in the gym finally coming in handy) while Robert takes the box of tinned goods. 

“What about me?” Seb pipes up eagerly, tugging on the hem of Robert’s jumper. “I wanna carry somethin’!” 

“How about this?” Aaron takes out a small pumpkin out of one of the bags and carefully deposits it into Seb’s open arms. “You got it?”

Seb nods, tucking the pumpkin under his chin and gripping it tightly.

“Right,” Robert ushers them out of the door. “Harvest Festival, here we come.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Harvest Festival, everyone :)


	5. sparkle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5 – Sparkle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Er, so I've fallen slightly behind – real life kind of got in the way so I haven't had much chance to write these last few days. Still going to post a fic for every day, though, just need to play catch up!

“There’s loads over here, Daddy!” Seb calls from the nearest tree, gleefully crouching down to pick up as many conkers as his small hands can carry.

“Good job, mate. Put them in the bag, then,” Robert yawns and holds the carrier bag out so Seb can drop them in, shaking his head fondly as his son races ahead to search for more.

It's a beautiful morning (even if Robert would rather appreciate it from his bedroom window), the early frost making the grass sparkle in the faint sunshine. It’s barely 8 o’clock in the morning, it’s their anniversary… and they’re celebrating by helping their son with his “autumn nature” art project for school. Which involves traipsing round the countryside and helping him scavenge for conkers, leaves, pinecones and anything else that catches his eye. They’ve already had to stop him from picking up what they were fairly certain was some sort of animal faeces twice.

“God, my hands are freezing.”

“Told you you should’ve brought gloves,” Aaron singsongs next to him, cheeks flushing pink from the cold.

“Really helpful, thank you,” Robert grouches back, clenching and unclenching his fingers in an effort to get some blood moving through them.

“C’mere.” Aaron takes Robert’s hands between his gloved ones and brings them up to his mouth, blowing hot air on them and rubbing them until they tingle pleasantly.

“Here, we can share.” He takes his left glove off and pulls it onto Robert’s hand, before taking his other hand and shoving them both into his coat pocket, so they’re toasty warm. “Better?”

Robert nods. “You romantic sod.”

“S’our anniversary, innit?” Aaron winks at him. “Romance is kind of the point.”

Robert hums happily and they walk in silence together for a few minutes, occasionally stopping to grab something that might work for Seb’s project.

“Five years ago we were getting married. Can’t believe it… ” Robert murmurs, almost to himself.

“Technically, five years ago you were sneaking out of my room at the pub,” Aaron adds mildly, snagging a few red and orange leaves off the nearest bush. 

“Oh yeah, forgot about that.”

“Which everyone heard. _That_ was a fun conversation to have with my mum, let me tell you.”

“I have no regrets,” Robert grins unashamedly. “The night before was worth it.”

“Think it was the night after that I preferred, actually,” Aaron smirks back. “Fancy hotel, room service, champers, a whole week to ourselves in front of us… ” 

“And we’d just got married.”

“Yeah, and that. Mostly that.” 

“Not much chance of that kind of luxury this year,” Robert sighs, yawning once more.

They’d planned to book a hotel for the night, same as they always had… but they were busy men. With two businesses to run, full-time custody of Seb and what felt like hundreds of other unavoidable commitments and responsibilities all hitting them at once, there was just no way it was happening this year. But they’ve sworn to make some for at least one night away soon; they’ve never let the day go uncelebrated before and they’re not about to now – even if it has to be slightly belated. 

“I don’t really mind,” Aaron says quietly, watching as Seb comes running back to them with an armful of his latest finds and a wide grin on his face. “Nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Robert smiles and squeezes Aaron’s hand in his pocket. “Me neither.” 


	6. quicksilver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 6 – Quicksilver

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly different vibe today, but I hope you like it anyway!
> 
> This is a canon divergence on the 16th May 2016 episode, after Aaron breaks things off with Robert after overhearing him talking to Charity about the money Gordon left. These months are some of my least favourite (I'm not much of a fan of boyfriends era in general), so I wanted to try and change things a bit!

_Get out of my house, and get out of my life._

Aaron’s mood changes like quicksilver these days, so fast that Robert can barely keep up. He’s always been fiery, had no trouble showing his emotions through his words or his actions – it’s part of what had drawn Robert to him in the first place. And with everything he’d been through in the last few months, Gordon, the trial… God, Robert doesn’t blame him for being all over the place.

But it’s been weeks now and… things aren’t getting better between them. If anything, they're getting worse. The quiet spark of hope that had Robert practically brimming with excitement not so long ago dims with each passing day, with each time Aaron lashes out at him or pushes him away.

_Get out of my house, and get out of my life._

Robert trudges back to the Keeper’s, head down and hands in his pockets. He can’t seem to go more than a day without facing Aaron’s wrath, without being reminded of exactly what Aaron and his family really think of him, of where he really stands. He didn’t think getting the thing he wanted – the _person_ he wanted – would be this hard, hurt this much.

As he reaches the cottage, he takes out his keys and unlocks the door on autopilot.

“Hiya,” Victoria calls from the kitchen, before poking her head out with a smile that dims as soon as she sees him. “Hey, you alright?”

_Get out of my house, and get out of my life._

Fuck it.

“You fancy coming to see Gran with me?”

She blinks. “To Barcelona? When?”

“Tonight? Tomorrow? I still have those tickets.”

“But I thought you wanted to take Aaron to… ” Vic trails off, probably because of the look on his face. She stares at him for a long moment, considering, before nodding her head.

“Go on, then.”

*

It’s the next morning, crack of dawn, and they’re in the departures lounge. Well, _Robert’s_ in the departures lounge, Victoria’s nipped to _WHSmith_ to find a cheap paperback to read (although knowing her she’ll just come back with a load of magazines) while he watches their bags.

He’s on the verge of dozing off, when his phone rings. Aaron’s name flashes up on the screen and Robert’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. He’d tried calling him last night, just to let him know he wouldn’t be around in case… God, he doesn’t even know. There’d been no answer. 

Robert hesitates for a few seconds, lets it ring a couple of times while he considers letting it go to voicemail, before steeling himself and answering the call.

“Hello?” 

“I’m outside,” Aaron says down the line. He sounds… blunt as always, but not particularly angry, not in the way he’d been yesterday. 

“What?”

“I’m outside yours. Vic’s. Come down, will you?”

“Er… ” Robert hadn’t planned for this, didn’t expect Aaron to come anywhere near him after yesterday. He gulps and tries to remind himself that he’s not done anything wrong. “I’m not there, actually. I’m not in the village right now.”

“Alright,” Aaron says, light and casual. There’s a faint scuffing sound in the background, and Robert can picture him rubbing the sleeve of his hoodie against his stubbled jaw. “Will you be back soon?”

“In a few days. Sunday night.”

“What?” The casual tone is swapped for confusion. “Where the hell are you?”

“At the airport.”

“Where’re you going?”

“Barcelona.” 

There’s a long silence, and Robert’s stomach twists unpleasantly. He wishes he hadn't picked up. “Oh. I thought we were – you went without me?”

_Why do you care?_ He wants to snap back, as the old him definitely would have done. _You didn’t want me there and you were never going to come with me, either. There was never gonna be a good time for you, not in the middle of all this. I wanted you to meet my Gran, my only other family, but now you say you don’t want anything to do with me, so why should I bother waiting? What's the point?_

But he doesn’t say any of that. He’s trying to be better.

“I tried ringing you but – look, we can still go another time if you like, I don’t mind booking more tickets. But I only had so long to postpone these ones and I’d already made… ” He can’t bring himself to tell Aaron about Annie, not over the phone. “Anyway, you said you wanted me gone so… ”

“So you went to another _country_?”

“Rob!” Robert looks up to see Victoria coming over with an armful of magazines.

“I – hang on a sec,” Robert said into the phone, before cover the speaker with his hand. “What, Vic?”

“Oh soz, didn’t mean to interrupt. Just got you this.” She drops a car magazine he likes into his lap and takes the seat next to him.

Robert shakes his head and speaks to Aaron again. “Sorry, back now.”

“Is there someone else there?” The words are sharp, accusatory. 

“Well I weren’t about to go alone, I’m not _that_ sad.” He’s about to say he’s with Victoria, maybe try lightening the mood by making a joke about how much luggage she’s brought, but Aaron’s talking again before he has the chance.

“Right, I see how it is.” The rage that Robert is all-too familiar with is back in his voice. “You get bored of having to wait longer than five minutes for me so you just bugger off with some random?”

“What?” _Shit, no._ “Aaron no, it’s not like that. I’m just with – ”

“You know what, save it.”

“Aaron wait, I – Aaron?” Nothing. He’s gone.

“Fuck.” Robert jabs at the screen, quickly calling Aaron back and praying he’ll pick up so he can tell him he’s got this wrong, all wrong. But it’s fruitless; Aaron doesn’t answer and if Robert knows him at all, he won’t be answering for some time.

“Was that Aaron?” Victoria asks with the same tentative concern she’d shown last night.

“Yep.” He sighs and tosses the phone on top of the magazine in his lap.

“Are you okay?”

“No.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

“Okay.” Victoria lays a gentle hand on his arm. “Maybe later? While we’re in Spain?”

“Maybe.”

*

They do talk, in the end. On their second night in the city, they go out for dinner and drinks, relishing the chance to unwind after a day spent answering question after question from Annie and all her ancient mates at the care home. Old people are exhausting, honestly.

“So… ” Victoria says around a mouthful of fish, with a casual air that Robert knows is entirely put-on. “D’you feel like talking about Aaron now? About what happened? Because as much as I’m enjoying the surprise trip in the sun, I know I’m not the one who’s supposed to be sitting here right now.”

“Can’t I just take my baby sister on holiday?”

“You _can_ , but you never have before. Come on, I know you booked these tickets for you and Aaron for your birthday, but for some reason it never happened. _And_ I know you haven’t spoken to him since that phone call in the airport. Whatever’s going on… you know you can talk to me, right?”

Robert sighs, contemplates doing what comes naturally and lying to her, plastering a smile on his face and insisting that everything’s fine. But after weeks on end of giving everyone that smile until his jaw ached, he doesn’t have it in him anymore.

“It’s just… ” He hesitates, not really knowing where to start. Victoria leans forward encouragingly. “I’m not sure he actually want to be with me.”

“Rubbish,” she fires back instantly. “He’s as gone on you as you are on him.”

“I don’t think so, Vic.”

“Okay, what makes you say that?”

“The fact that he can’t seem to go more than a day or two without biting my head off or saying he wants nothin’ to do with me, for starters.”

“Is that what happened yesterday?”

“Pretty much. Said he wanted me out of his life.”

“Why, what did you do?”

“Nothing – for once,” he shoots her a rueful smile. “Just… I said something to Charity, he overheard and took it the wrong way, kicked me out before I had a chance to explain properly.”

“Well there you go, then,” Vic smiles. “A misunderstanding, that’s easily fixed. Once you explain, he’ll calm down and you’ll be fine.”

“Until the next time,” Robert mutters, stabbing at his food with his fork.

“What d’you mean?”

“That’s the point, Vic. I always have to explain, because he _always_ thinks the worst of me and pushes me away, says I'll never change. Before that, it was the burnt letter fiasco, then it was him actually believing I’d paid someone to have Gordon killed in prison. And now this. Even on the phone the other day, he instantly assumed I’d gone off with someone else. He probably thinks I’m shagging some random right now, when I’ve _told_ him how I feel about him. When he's the one who keeps shutting me out and cancelling every plan I try to make with him.” 

Robert drops his cutlery down on the table as the words spill out of his mouth, increasing in speed before he can stop them. 

“And before you say it, I know I was awful last year, alright? I get it, I’d understand if he didn’t trust me, if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. But… he’s said that he _does_ trust me, and he’s said he still wants me. Then he goes and treats like he thinks I’m scum, like I’m still that selfish person he used to hate, and _then_ I think maybe he doesn’t really want this, not the way I do. I’ve been trying, I’ve been trying _so hard_ , but I can’t seem to get anything right and I’m just – I’m just sick of it, okay?”

To his absolute horror, the backs of his eyes begin to sting with tears, and he blinks them away rapidly as Victoria stares at him open-mouthed, eyes wide with shock. He can’t say he blames her, he’s surprised himself. His gaze remains fixed on the dark red tablecloth, already feeling awkward about his sudden outburst.

“And he forgot your birthday,” she eventually says, offering him a small smile. A surprised chuckle bubbles out of him and he looks up. 

“And he forgot my birthday. Which I know makes me sound like I’m about six but…”

“But it was your first one with him.” He nods. “And you wanted to get to spend it together in Barcelona and take him to meet Gran.” Another, smaller, nod, and he buries his face in his hands as his cheeks flush with embarrassment.

“Oh, Rob.” She pushes her plate aside and yanks on his arms until he drops his hands and meets her eyes. “You’re allowed to be upset, silly. I’d be _gutted_ if I were in your position.”

“Doesn’t feel like I am, not with everything that’s happened… ”

“You and Aaron… it’s a big deal for you. He’s your first boyfriend.”

He rolls his eyes. “We’re not teenagers, Vic.”

“Robert,” she frowns at his deflection, not having it. “After everything you've been through this past year, coming out, how much you’ve changed, being with Aaron properly… this is a _big deal_. I’m _proud_ of you, you muppet.”

He doesn’t really trust himself to speak, so instead he settles for squeezing their fingers together, hoping she understands. She does, if the warm look on her face is any indication.

“Adam actually told me he stuck up for you with Aaron a couple of weeks ago, y’know?”

“What?” Well, that definitely didn’t sound right. “When?”

“After you burnt that letter. _Which_ , by the way, was a bit stupid, but I get that your heart was in the right place. I can’t blame you for not wanting to give it to him, and neither can Adam. He kept it from Aaron too, remember?”

Robert fiddles with his napkin, carefully folding the corners. “What’d he say, then?”

“Just told Aaron that you were only trying to protect him, trying to make sure he never had to hear from Gordon again, like he said he wanted.”

“Wow… who would’ve thought your husband would be on my side?”

“I know, I think Adam was as shocked as anyone. So you see?” Victoria raises her eyebrows. “You’re not a monster, Robert. You’ve changed, and people can see that. If _Adam’s_ started coming around to you, Aaron definitely will have.”

“Don’t think his family ever will.”

“Well, there’s only so much you can do about that; you can’t kill yourself over trying getting people to like you. But last time I checked, Aaron’s an adult, he can make his own decisions. He usually does, too.”

Robert sighs and nods, mulling over her words. They resume eating their meals quietly for a few minutes.

“So… what d’you think I should do?”

“I’ll tell you what you’re _not_ gonna do,” Vic points at him with her fork, waving around the potato on the end of it. “You’re not going to give up on this.”

“I don’t want to. But I don’t know how to… ” He shrugs helplessly. 

“I think you just need to have a conversation with him. Tell him what you’ve told me.”

She tuts when Robert pulls a face.

“I know you don’t like talking about feelings – I swear, you’re both as bad as each other – but you have a right to know where you stand, Rob. Look, I know Aaron’s been through hell and there’s a lot going on right now with his sister an’ all… but you can’t stay stuck in this weird limbo. He’s either in this or he isn’t, he wants you or he doesn’t.”

“And… ” Robert chews his bottom lip, stomach churning unpleasantly. “If he says he doesn’t?”

“I mean, I very much doubt that. But if that does turn out to be the case then… ” Vic hesitates, before grinning. “We’ll just have to head into town and find you a nice new bloke, won’t we?”

Robert snorts, already recoiling at the very idea. “Like I’d ever let you take me out on the pull.”

“What, I’d make an excellent wing-woman!”

“God no, please stop.” They both giggle into their wine glasses, until Robert’s smile eventually dims. “I don’t want a nice new bloke. I want Aaron.”

“I know you do,” Victoria says softly. “That’s why you have to try. Just _talk_ to him.” 

“Yeah… you’re right.”

“What’s that, now?” The glee in her voice makes him groan. “Can I get that in writing, please?”

“Alright, calm down.” 

*

Typically, their return flight is delayed, so they don’t arrive back in Emmerdale until the early hours of Monday morning. Robert’s so knackered, it’s all he can do to bid a brief goodnight to Victoria and collapse face-down on his bed. 

After what feels like only seconds after he puts his head on the pillow, he’s jolted awake by the sound of loud banging. Cracking one eye open, he takes in the faint light coming from the window and realises that despite his exhaustion, he must’ve had a few hours of rest. The banging starts up again, and Robert’s sleep-addled brain manages to work out it's someone at the front door. He waits for the sound of Adam or Vic heading down the stairs, but there’s only silence.

Groaning, he rolls to his feet and throws on his dressing gown before stumbling to the front door and cracking it open, ready to tell whoever it is to kindly bugger off and let him go back to bed, only to be met with the sight of the last person he’d expected to see at this hour.

Aaron.

He stands before Robert, hands shoved in his pockets and gel-free hair blowing in the wind. He looks as amazing as ever, and Robert’s missed him so much it makes his breath catch for a second. He stands frozen, hand dropping from the door to hang at his side.

Aaron clears his throat. “Hiya.”

“Hi.”

“You’re back, then.” His voice is gruff and slightly hoarse, like he hasn’t had enough sleep.

“Er, yeah. Late last night.”

Aaron nods and there’s a long pause.

“You gonna invite me in or…?” 

Robert steps aside to let him pass and follows him into the living room. They stand there awkwardly and Robert stays silent, waiting for Aaron to make the first move.

“Pub’s been quiet without you,” Aaron eventually offers. “Got used to you hangin' around every day.”

“Bet your mum’s not been complaining. Or Liv, for that matter.”

Aaron gives a small smile that looks more like a grimace, and Robert’s heart sinks slightly at the silent confirmation that he's right.

“I missed you, though.” He says it so quietly, Robert almost doesn’t catch it.

“I missed you, too."

Aaron’s mouth curls into another smile, a more genuine one this time, and he shuffles his feet.

“Adam told me that you were with Vic. That you were seein’ your gran, too.”

“Oh.” Robert’s mind flashes back to the last time they’d spoken, to Aaron’s furious words, and judging by the look on Aaron’s face now, his is too. “Right.”

“Sorry for havin’ a go at you on the phone. I should've – I’m an idiot.”

“S’fine.”

“I didn’t mean to – I just thought – ”

“Thought the worst of me, I know.” 

Aaron looks stricken at that, and Robert instantly wants to take the words back. He doesn't, though, he can't bring himself to. Aaron's eyes fall away from his face, wandering uncomfortably around the living room. Just like that, Robert suddenly feels almost as distant from him now as he had in another country, and he hates it. Victoria’s insistent words from the other night echo in his ears.

_Just talk to him._

“Aaron, I… ” Robert can hear footsteps above them, the telltale sounds of Adam and Victoria getting up to start their day. He really doesn’t want an audience for this. “D’you fancy goin’ for a walk?”

Aaron’s gaze snaps back to him, and he frowns. “A walk?”

“Yeah. Could do with some fresh air after my flight and… maybe we can have a chat?”

“A chat… ”

“You gonna repeat everythin’ I say?” Robert can’t resist giving him a teasing smile, and Aaron huffs a small laugh and shakes his head.

“A chat about what?”

“Just… stuff. You and me?”

Aaron hesitates, before nodding. “Yeah, okay. Might wanna get changed first, though?”

Robert suddenly remembers what he’s wearing, and he wraps his dressing gown around himself self-consciously as Aaron’s eyes crinkle in amusement.

“Uh, give me five minutes.”

Robert gets ready in record time, rapidly brushing his teeth while he pulls out a clean pair of jeans and a jumper. As he shoves his feet into a pair of shoes on the landing, Victoria opens her bedroom door and almost trips over him.

“Oh, mornin’,” she says around a wide yawn. “Did I hear Aaron downstairs?”

“Yeah, he’s waiting for me,” Robert answers, his voice hushed so he’s not overheard. “We’re going for a walk.”

“And?”

“And… I’ve asked if we can talk.”

Vic’s face brightens. “That’s great, Rob.”

“Unless he doesn’t like what I say and dumps me on the spot, of course.”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous.” Vic waves a dismissive hand.

“Rob?” Aaron calls from downstairs. “We goin’ on this walk or not?”

“Coming!”

Victoria grins at him, smug in the way that only his annoying little sister can be. “I told you – smitten kittens, the pair of you.”

Robert chooses to ignore her in favour of jogging back down the stairs, meeting Aaron by the front door.

“Ready?”

“Been waitin’ for _you_ , mate,” Aaron scoffs. “Let’s go.”

They leave the cottage and set off in the direction of the footbridge.

“So... ” Aaron glances at him tentatively. “What's up?” 

Robert takes a deep breath, and starts talking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I'm still mad Aaron bailed on their Barcelona trip on Robert's birthday. And I wanted to throw in a little bit of Annie, too, since Emmerdale's recent tribute to her was... lacklustre, to say the least.


	7. stop hogging the blankets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 7 – Stop hogging the blankets

“Stop hogging the blankets.”

“ _You_ stop hogging the blankets. You’ve already got more than me!”

“I’m taller than you, there’s more of me to cover.”

Aaron snorts and yanks as much of the blanket as he can without disturbing the small, sleeping figure sprawled out on top of their torsos.

It’s a Friday night, and they’d agreed to take Eve off Chas and Paddy’s hands for the weekend. Leaving them to… fight, talk, _not_ talk… in peace. They’re going through yet another rough patch; Chas sick to death of Paddy and wanting more than what he can offer, Paddy sulking and snapping and refusing to admit to anyone that something’s seriously wrong.

Not that he needs to. The whole _village_ knows the state of their relationship these days; it’d been aeons since they’d bothered trying to keep their arguments private, no longer bothering to confine them to the back room or after closing hours. They’d snipe and shout at each other in full view of the bar, whilst customers looked on with discomfort or interest, depending on who was watching.

It’s unfortunately become a regular cycle over the last few years, one that Aaron wishes to God they would break by ending things once and for all and putting everyone out of their misery. Mainly Eve.

She’d been quiet and withdrawn when Aaron had picked her up and brought her to the Mill, barely answering any of his questions about her day at school or how she wanted to spend the weekend. Even her favourite tea of pizza and chips (finally, someone who appreciated Aaron’s level of culinary skill) hadn’t cheered her up.

Aaron could guess the reason for her low mood, but he didn’t know what to do about it, how to bring her out of her shell. Seb was visiting Rebecca for the weekend, so they didn’t even have him to distract her with his toys or games.

As heavy rain had begun to pour from the sky, loud taps thundering on the roof and windows, Robert had gotten to his feet and declared it was the perfect night to build a blanket fort. That had finally gotten a reaction out of Eve, her head shooting up instantly.

“Mummy never lets me make forts!” she’d cried, smiling for the first time that night. “She says it’s too messy.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about mess here,” Robert had said with a wink. “We can just make Aaron tidy up later, can’t we?”

“Oh, charming,” Aaron had grouched, but he’d started shifting chairs around without protest. 

“And – and can we stay in it _all_ _night_?”

“That’s the idea, short stuff,” Aaron ruffled her hair. “No point in a blanket fort if you can’t sleep in it, is there?”

Eve had gaped at him, eyes wide and excited like it was the best thing she’d ever heard, and Aaron was really starting to wonder just how miserable things were for her at home.

The three of them had gathered every quilt, blanket and pillow they could find, and in just twenty minutes they’d managed to construct a pretty impressive fort, if Aaron did say so himself. Robert had dug out some of their Christmas lights from the messy cupboard and strung them up across the roof before flicking off the main light, creating a cosy little cocoon for them to crawl into. 

It was a bit of a squeeze, but they’d made it work, and spent the rest of the night watching films on Robert’s laptop and drinking hot chocolate in their pyjamas. Eve had cheered up quickly, her mood doing a total 180 from the second they’d started gathering fort-building supplies. Still a little quieter than usual, perhaps, but for the most part she’d been all smiles for the remainder of the night.

Now she’s passed out on top of them, head and arms flopped on Robert’s chest while her legs spread across Aaron’s stomach, well and truly crashed out from the sugar and excitement. Neither of them had the heart to move her, so they’d made themselves as comfortable as they could and settled in for the night, listening to the soothing sound of the rainfall outside.

“My back’s gonna be screaming at me by morning,” Robert grumbles next to him.

“This was your idea, mate.”

Robert huffs but quirks a smile at him. “Not my worst though, was it?”

Aaron tilts his head to face him and smiles back. “Nah, one of your better ones actually. For a minute I was scared she’d be gloomy all weekend.”

“If having an eight-year-old kid’s taught me anything, it’s that forts make everything better.”

He’s not wrong, blanket forts are probably one of Seb’s favourite things in the world.

“How were they when you picked her up?” Robert asks tentatively. “I didn’t get to ask before.”

“Oh y’know, the usual. Barely lookin’ at each other, snarky comments, one leaving the room as soon as the other comes in. Eve sat on the sofa stuck in the middle of it all. You could’ve cut the tension with a knife.”

“That explains her being so down, then.”

Aaron glances down at Eve, double-checking she’s actually as dead to the world as they thought. 

“I wish they’d just call it quits – for her sake as much as anythin’.” 

Kids aren’t stupid – Aaron knows that better than anyone. The back of the pub isn’t exactly spacious, only a few small rooms with thin walls, and he has a feeling Eve’s seen and heard a lot more than she’s supposed to. It makes his blood boil. 

He knows what it’s like to grow up in a home with parents who spend every day either fighting or ignoring each other (of course, what came after was worse, _much_ worse, and he’s forever grateful that Eve will never know that kind of pain, at least). He could kill his mum for putting another child through it all over again. She was supposed to be better this time.

He can still remember the unhappy way she used to look at him when he was a kid, that horrible feeling of just _knowing_ that she’d rather be anywhere else than at home with him. That she wanted something different, something more.

“I know,” Robert says quietly next to him. “Me too.”

“Part of me wishes I’d never pushed them to be together in the first place.”

“You didn’t _push_ them.” 

“I sort of did, though. I wanted them to get back together so badly all those years ago, I thought they’d make each other happy. And all it’s done is make them miserable.”

“Well, maybe,” Robert sighs and bumps his head gently against Aaron’s. “But if they’d never gotten back together, we wouldn’t have ended up with this one, would we?” 

He nods down at Eve, who shuffles slightly and _very nearly_ kicks Aaron in an area that he’d really rather she didn’t. He carefully rearranges her so her feet are safely out of the danger zone, and shoots Robert a grin.

“You mean you wouldn’t have your little admirer?”

“Give over,” Robert rolls his eyes, but Aaron knows just how much he and Eve adore each other. 

Aaron’s little sister had been smitten with Robert since before she was even walking, clinging to him like a tiny shadow – much to Chas and Paddy’s displeasure.

“Guess you were bound to be her favourite,” Aaron muses. “She’s related to me, after all.”

“Can’t argue with genetics, I suppose. Would explain why Seb does every chore you ask him to while I can barely get him to pick up after himself.”

“That’s because he knows you’re a soft touch, got nothin’ to do with biology.”

“If you say so,” Robert sighs contentedly, eyes drifting closed. 

They lie in silence for a few minutes, Aaron staring up at the fairy lights twinkling above them.

“I just wish there was something I could do,” he whispers. “To make it better for her.”

Robert cracks an eye open and shakes his head at him. “You’re already doing it, you muppet.” He presses a kiss to Aaron’s cheekbone. “Whatever happens with your mum and Paddy… as long as we’re here, she’ll be okay.”


	8. unwavering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 8 – Unwavering

Robert sighed as he walked through the front door, kicking off his shoes and walking into the living room, ready to collapse on the sofa after a long day of meetings. There was a light shuffling sound coming from the kitchen, and he looked over to see Aaron… sitting in the centre of the kitchen table, feet dangling over the edge.

“Hiya… ”

Aaron nodded stiffly. “Evening.”

“Why are you sitting on the table?”

“S’my house, I can sit where I like,” Aaron fired back with a haughty shrug, arms folded.

“Okay… ” Robert stared at him for a moment, before rolling his eyes. “Where’s the spider?”

Aaron held out for about three seconds, before pointing to Robert’s right.

“Over by the sink and it’s the size of my fucking fist.”

Biting his lip to conceal the grin threatening to overtake his face, Robert moved closer so he could get a look at where Aaron was pointing, only to see that there was, in fact, a spider standing innocently on the floor. It was quite large, to be fair.

“I was washing the dishes, mindin’ my own business, and the damn thing _touched my foot_ and nearly gave me a bloody heart attack!”

Now that Aaron mentioned it, Robert could see a trail of soapy water on the floor, leading from the sink to the table, showing the path that Aaron had taken as he’d fled to safety.

“Hard man Aaron Dingle, sent running by a tiny little arachnid. What would people think?”

“Ha ha, hilarious,” Aaron snapped. “It’s _not_ tiny, it’s _massive_ , so if you have to get your little jokes in, can you at least do it  while you get rid of the trespasser?” 

Robert went to the cupboard and grabbed a glass.

“What’re you doing? You don't need that, just kill it!”

“Seb would never forgive us.” Unlike his big wuss of a dad, their son was rather fond insects, and refused to let them kill any sort of creature that wandered into the house.

“Seb’s not here, he’s at Isaac’s!” Aaron nearly whined back. “He doesn’t have to know.”

“Wow, father of the year, you are.”

“Fine, whatever,” Aaron huffed. “Just get it _out_. If it doesn’t pay rent, it has no business bein’ here.”

Robert tried to catch the spider in the glass, only to discover the little guy could actually move quite quickly, all eight legs scurrying across the floor with surprising speed. Aaron yelped loudly and swung his feet up onto the table.

“Oh, for God’s sake.” Robert abandoned the glass, instead reaching down to scoop the spider up in his palm, cupping the other on top of it to trap it there.

“No, don’t – not with you bare hands, Rob, you touch me with those!”

“It’s okay, princess, I’ll give them a good wash.” He threw open a window and deposited the spider onto the bush below. “There, it’s safe to come down now.”

As Aaron slid gingerly off the table, Robert moved towards him, only to have a thrown-up hand blocking his path.

“Wash your hands. Now.” 

“Yes, boss.” Robert went to the sink and ran his hands under the tap. “Honestly, you’re such a baby.”

“Oi, don’t go acting like _I’m_ the weird one. Normal people don’t just go around _picking up_ spiders like it’s no big deal, I dunno what’s wrong with you.”

“I’ve told you, you can’t grow up on a farm and be scared of spiders. If I was ever bothered by them, I would’ve had to get over it pretty quickly.”

Aaron just shuddered, brushing at his clothes as if he could feel the spider on him.

“There,” Robert dried his hands on a tea towel. “Squeaky clean. He wrapped his arms around Aaron’s waist and pulled him in for a kiss, full of unwavering fondness for his ridiculous husband.

“You know what they say… ” he whispers against Aaron’s lips.

“Hm?”

“They’re more scared of you than you are of them.”

“Oh, _fuck off_ Robert.” 


	9. monochromatic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 9 – Monochromatic
> 
> Set not long after reunion 2.0

_ Late February 2018 _

How Aaron had ended up being the one left to unpack most of Robert’s stuff, he had no idea. They were supposed to do it together, but then Jimmy had called, babbling about some work emergency and Robert had to dash, only stopping to give Aaron an apologetic kiss before flying out of the door.

The cardboard boxes and suitcases filled with Robert’s belongings were just sitting there, and Aaron found himself at a loose end, so he’d decided he may as well make himself useful. He didn’t mind, not really. While the thought of even giving Alex so much as a _drawer_ had filled Aaron with dread, there was something warm and satisfying about moving his things aside to create empty spaces for Robert to fill. Robert’s half of the bathroom, Robert’s half of the bed, Robert’s half of the wardrobe. It felt like the Mill was finally becoming the home they’d once imagined it would be.

Humming quietly to himself, Aaron started on a box of Robert’s clothes, making quick work of getting everything onto hangers, rolling his eyes when he spotted a couple of near-identical patterned shirts folded neatly next to each other. Robert could moan about Aaron’s monochromatic wardrobe all he liked, he was the one who barely strayed from a few select shades of blue or maroon. 

As Aaron pulled yet another expensive-looking cashmere jumper out of the box, a glimpse of jet black material underneath it caught his eye. Frowning, he tossed the jumper aside and picked it up, realising that it was a t-shirt.

The only time Aaron had ever seen Robert wear black was back when they lived at the Woolpack and he used to steal one of Aaron’s hoodies, usually when he was lounging in bed or feeling under the weather. He rarely wore the colour otherwise, insisting it made him look pale and washed out (Aaron strongly disagreed, but then he supposed he was slightly biased on that front).

As he unfolded the t-shirt and turned it around, a small flash of colour caught his eye. There on the chest, in place of where a breast pocket might be, was a tiny set of stripes – pink, purple and blue. Subtle, but the symbol was bright and clear. It was a bisexual pride flag. 

Huh.

Aaron turned it back and forth, looking for… he didn’t even know what. It was just a t-shirt, for God’s sake. The label didn’t give much a way, it was a brand name that he didn’t recognise. Robert definitely hadn’t owned this the last time they’d lived together, that much he was certain of.

“Hey, d’you fancy a – oh.”

Aaron spun around to see Robert standing in the doorway, staring at the t-shirt in his hands.

“Not seen this before.” Aaron held it up slightly.

“Uh, no, you wouldn’t have. I only bought it last summer.”

“Where’d you get it?”

“I was in Manchester for work, same weekend as Pride. I’d had a few drinks after a meeting in town and accidentally wandered right into the middle of it. Ended up buying that from some stall on a whim. It was only about a fiver and I was a bit tipsy so… ” Robert shrugged, looking slightly bashful.

“It’s nice.”

“I just wear it round the house, mainly.” 

“Can’t picture you at Pride.” Aaron internally flinched as soon as the words were out of his mouth, worried that they’d be taken the wrong way, but Robert just smiled.

“It had a nice time, actually,” He took the t-shirt from Aaron’s hands and folded it over his arm. “I mean, I was there by myself and it was mostly students and twenty-somethings so I felt a bit ancient, but it was alright. Got chatting to a few people – even other bisexual ones, if you can believe it?” 

“We could… go to one together this year?” Aaron said softly. “If you fancy it?”

“Yeah?”

“I actually thought about askin’ if you wanted to go a couple of years ago.” Aaron could still remember sitting in the back room of the Woolpack, looking at the dates for Leeds Pride online, considering asking Robert… and then deciding against it.

“What, really?” Robert’s eyebrows flew up in surprise.

“No need to sound so shocked.”

“No, sorry, it’s just… I wanted to ask _you_ if we could go that year.”

“Seriously?” Robert nodded. “Why didn’t you?”

“Why didn’t _you_?”

“I… didn’t think you’d want to.”

“I didn’t think you’d want to, either.” 

Aaron snorted, then so did Robert, and they were both laughing quietly together, shaking their heads.

“God, we were hopeless, eh?” Robert eventually said, eyes dancing with amusement. 

Were it a few months or even weeks ago, Aaron wouldn’t have found it so funny. The revelation would have filled him with feelings of failure and painful regret. But now, he was standing with Robert in their bedroom, surrounded by Robert’s knick-knacks spilling out of boxes, safe in the knowledge that they were together again, they were _trying_ _again_. 

Now, Aaron could just hum and wrap his arms around Robert’s waist, hands sneaking under his shirt to press against the warm skin of his back. “M’sorry… if you felt like you couldn’t ask me. M’sorry you ever felt like you couldn’t tell me _anything_.”

“Me too.” Robert’s hands came up to rest on Aaron’s, stroking gently back and forth. “But we’ll be better this time, right?”

“Course we will,” Aaron grinned, before leaning up to kiss him softly. “So, Pride. We goin’ this year or what?”

Robert grinned back. “I’m up for it if you are.” 

Later that evening, Robert came downstairs after a shower, dressed in a pair of tracksuit bottoms and the black t-shirt from earlier.

“Made you a brew.” Aaron held out a steaming mug.

“Ta.” Robert took it from him and was about to take a sip, before pausing at the look on Aaron’s face. “What?”

Aaron just smiled and tugged the hem of the t-shirt lightly, before reaching up to trail a finger across the flag symbol. “Cute.”

Robert’s blush went all the way up to his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Robert's t-shirt looks a little something like this: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/606982090/gay-pride-bisexual-bi-chest-flag-left?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=bisexual+flag+t+shirt&ref=sr_gallery-1-32&organic_search_click=1


	10. once upon a time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 10 – Once upon a time

“Okay,” Aaron gently dropped a pyjama-clad Seb down on Robert’s side of the bed. “In you get.”

Seb scuttled under the covers and snuggled down into Robert’s pillow. 

“Shall we give Daddy a ring, then?” Seb just stuck his thumb in his mouth. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Aaron grabbed his MacBook and settled himself next to Seb, balancing it on his lap and Facetiming Robert. It didn’t take long for the call to be answered and Robert’s face to appear onscreen, a bland-looking hotel room as his background.

“Hiya.” He looked exhausted, but his eyes lit up as soon as he saw them. “Bedtime, is it?”

“Yeah,” Aaron said as Seb shuffled into his lap so he could get a better view of Robert’s face. “Thought we’d say goodnight.”

“You staying in our bed tonight, mate?” Robert asked Seb, smiling softly.

Seb nodded and took the thumb out of his mouth. “Sleepover.”

“A _sleepover_?” Robert gasped playfully, grinning at him. “Wow, you lucky thing, wish I was there.”

Seb didn’t grin back, just stared at the screen a little mournfully. “When you comin’ home, Daddy?”

Robert’s smile dropped slightly. “It won’t be long now, bud. Only two more days.”

“’Kay.” He didn’t sound reassured, though, and Robert’s eyes drifted to Aaron’s questioningly. 

“He’s had a bit of a day,” Aaron explained quietly, tucking Seb under his arm and brushing a hand through his freshly-washed hair. “Fell out with Isaac over… some game at nursery, I dunno, then he tripped on the driveway and grazed his elbow.”

Seb wordlessly held up his plaster-covered elbow as evidence.

“Oh no, is it sore?” 

“Was sore,” Seb said quietly. “But Daddy kissed it better an’ gave me a Spider-Man plaster.”

“Ah, that’ll do the trick,” Robert nodded seriously. “We both know Dad’s kisses can cure anything, right?”

Seb cracked a tiny smile – his first one since this conversation had started. “Right.”

“You feeling better now, then?”

Seb just shrugged, burying his face back into Aaron’s chest.

“I think he’s just missing you,” Aaron said, voice hushed as he continued stroking Seb’s hair. “Been asking about you coming back all day.”

“Oh mate, I’m sorry,” Robert looked at him with a sadness that Aaron knew was entirely genuine. “I’d much rather be hanging out with you than stuck in this boring old hotel room.”

“Come back, then,” Seb mumbled, irritated puffs of air hitting Aaron’s arm. 

“Soon as I can, I promise. I’ll be back in time for the weekend, then we can do whatever you want, okay? The park, the zoo, anything.”

Seb considered this for a moment, before nodding. “Can I have a story now?” 

“A story?” Seb hummed. “Okay… once upon a time, there was a boy named Sebastian Sugden-Dingle who went to bed on time. The end.”

Seb giggled. “Rubbish story.”

“Excuse me?” Robert gaped at him. “I think you’ll find that was an excellent story, one of my best. What more could you want?”

Seb just laughed some more and shook his head, bad mood finally lifting. “Nooo, a proper story!”

“Oh, a _proper_ story, I see,” Robert mused. “You want a made-up story or a book story? I can read to you if Daddy’s willing to hold it up so I can see the words.”

“Glad to know I’m of use,” Aaron grouched as Seb shook his head again.

“I want a _you and Daddy_ story. Please.”

“Me and Daddy?”

“A funny one.”

“Alright… me and Daddy story,” Robert hummed, thinking for a moment, before grinning slyly. “Did I ever tell you about the time I took your Daddy kayaking in Wales?” 


	11. radiance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 11 – Radiance

Aaron quickly ducked through the door of the cafe, shaking cold rainwater out of his hair like a particularly soggy dog. He was supposed to be meeting Robert here for a coffee date, and _of course_ the heavens had decided to open on him the second he stepped out of his car.

Realising there was nowhere for him to go except down a flight of stairs, he followed the sign and made his way into a basement room that absolutely screamed _hipster_ , from its exposed brick walls covered in vintage posters, to the gramophone in the corner playing soft jazz. Not to mention the lighting. The cafe was dim and shadowy, the only dull light coming from a few naked bulbs hanging from the ceiling above the counter where the baristas were hard at work. Christ, no wonder Robert had picked it.

Still shivering, Aaron squinted through the gloomy light until he spotted Robert huddled in a corner, head buried in a paperback. He smiled and headed towards him, about to call out a greeting, but another bloke in glasses stood in front of him and beat him to it.

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?” Aaron heard him ask Robert, hand hovering over the empty chair opposite him.

“Sorry,” Robert looked up from his book and smiled apologetically. “I’m just waiting for my husband, he’ll be here in a minute.” 

Something hot and thrilling shot through Aaron’s chest at the words. It didn’t matter how long they’d been together, he doubted he’d ever get sick of hearing Robert saying them so openly, declaring that he belonged to Aaron for all the world to hear. He supposed it was because the Aaron of five years ago had wished for it so desperately (whether he'd wanted to admit it or not), whilst simultaneously being convinced it was never going to happen.

He'd never been so happy to be proved wrong, honestly.

As the man nodded and stepped aside, it gave Aaron a clear view of his husband, and he raised his hand in a small wave as he made his way over.  He saw the exact moment Robert spotted him through the crowd, mouth curling into a smile so radiant it practically lit up the otherwise-dark room.

“Hey, you finally made it,” he said as Aaron dropped into the seat opposite him, sticking his bookmark into his book and closing it. 

“Sorry, had Vinny on the phone askin’ me about 28 stupid questions, held me up,” Aaron sighed and eased off his sodden jacket. “So this is your latest haunt, then?” 

Robert went through phases with places like this. Cafes, bars, restaurants… he’d stumble across each one whenever he had a meeting nearby, declare it was his new favourite place, insist Aaron had to experience it with him, then keep returning until he found the next one. 

“It’s nice, right?”

“Bit dark, innit? I’m surprised you can even read your book.”

“It’s mood lighting.”

“It’s an accident waitin’ to happen, someone’s gonna go flying down those stairs.”

“It’s _romantic_ , Aaron,” Robert shot back with a pout that was so endearing, Aaron couldn’t resist leaning over to kiss it off his face.

“Okay, soft lad. Let’s enjoy the romance.” He looked down at the drink Robert had ordered for him, blinking at the mound of whipped cream that was dusted with some sort of orange powder.

“What’s this?”

“Pumpkin spice latte.”

“Seriously? You couldn’t get me a normal drink?”

“It _is_ a normal drink in October. Don't be such a Grinch.”

“The Grinch is for Christmas.”

“Whatever the Halloween equivalent is, then.”

Aaron sighed and took a sip, licking foam off his top lip.

“So?” Robert raised an eyebrow. “Will it do?”

“... S’fine, I suppose.”

“Alright, don’t hurt yourself,” Robert rolled his eyes and took a gulp of his own drink. “You look nice, by the way.”

“I look like a drowned rat.”

“A very sexy drowned rat.” 

“Okay, you weirdo.” Aaron took another sip of his drink (alright, it was quite tasty), enjoying the warmth the mug brought to his still-frozen fingers, and sat back in his chair. “How’s your mornin’ been, then?”


	12. clenched fists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 12 – Clenched fists

Robert watches Aaron stare down at the mess on the rug with tightly-clenched fists, his entire body practically vibrating with frustration. He can’t say he blames him, he’s this close to jamming the screwdriver he’s holding into his own skull.

“It can’t be this hard,” Aaron says, sounding baffled. “We’re both trained mechanics, it _cannot_ be this hard.”

Robert just shakes his head and looks helplessly at the partially-constructed toy car at their feet. Not to mention the various parts strewn around the living room.

“Maybe if we’d followed the instructions from the beginning like I – ”

“Unless you want a very ugly divorce,” Aaron holds up a threatening finger. “I’d think twice before finishing that sentence.”

Robert snaps his mouth shut.

It’s barely 24 hours until Seb’s fifth birthday, and they may have gone a _tad_ overboard with his main present this year. It’s a battery-operated child’s car that he can actually _drive_ , with pedals and headlights and a horn and everything. It’s probably too much, but as soon as Robert had shown it to Aaron on his laptop, his husband’s face had lit up and he was practically grabbing for the computer to order it himself.

Robert has a sneaking suspicion that Seb may have to actually fight Daddy Aaron for a turn in his new car.

If they ever actually manage to construct it, that is.

It had cost them a bomb, which is why they’d wholeheartedly rejected the company’s offer to have it sent fully assembled for them, which would’ve set them back an extra 20 quid. They were both skilled and intelligent adults, thank you very much, perfectly capable of putting together a kid’s toy.

Or so they thought.

They’ve been at it for hours now; they’ve already put the lights in the wrong way twice, they can’t get the back left tyre on for some reason, Aaron nearly broke a windscreen wiper, and there are still so many tiny bits and pieces left to slot into place, Robert can’t see an end in sight.

“It would’ve been easier to just fix him up with a real car,” Aaron mutters moodily, jamming a wing mirror onto the car until it stays there.

“… Is that an option?” Robert’s already considering giving Cain a call and asking it he knows of any bangers up for sale, he honestly is. “Have we left it too late?”

Aaron bites his lip and looks like he’s actually about to say yes, before shaking his head regretfully. “No good, he wouldn’t be able to drive it for over 10 years." 

Ah. Of course.

“Fine, come on then,” Robert sights and stretches, groaning at the crack in his shoulders. “I’ll stick the kettle on, then we’re gonna build our son his dream car if it kills us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No clue if it's possible for customers to assemble those cars themselves, but let's just go with it :)


	13. whispers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 13 – Whispers

Robert sighed and let his eyes droop closed, resting his head against the tree trunk behind him. He was so exhausted, he couldn’t even bring himself to care about the cold wet seeping through his jeans. He could hear the voices of his psychotic in-laws shouting nearby, but they weren’t loud enough for him to be concerned about being found.

Just as he was about to drift off, he was startled by the sound of rustling and heavy footsteps coming towards him. Groaning quietly, Robert picked up his gun and got ready to aim at whoever was coming for him. The rustling got louder, until his husband suddenly appeared through the bushes in front of him, panting heavily.

“Oh,” Robert whispered and dropped his gun again. “S’just you.”

Aaron crinkled his nose in offence, before tilting his protective mask up into his hair and fixing Robert with a questioning look. “Hey.”

“Hi.”

“What’re you doing?”

“Sitting.”

“Right,” Aaron whispered back and stepped closer. “Dunno if anyone’s told you, but there’s not supposed to be much sitting in a paintball match. It’s more running and shooting.”

“I’ve been doing that for ages, m’tired now.”

“We’ve only been playing for about 20 minutes.” 

“Don’t care, I’m bruised and my feet hurt,” Robert griped as Aaron sat down with a chuckle. “I’m an old man, leave me alone.”

“You’re barely 35.” Aaron shuffled next to him until their shoulders and thighs were pressed together. “Also, why are we whispering?” 

“Because I don’t wanna be found. My niece is trying to kill me.”

“Sarah? Well that’s just part of the game, innit?”

“She’s on my team!”

“Oh,” Aaron blinked. “Right. Well, we know where she gets her ruthless streak from, don’t we?”

“Oh, don’t even. She plays dirty, she’s a Dingle through and through.”

Aaron just grinned and tipped his head back to look up at the sky. He’d rather die than admit it to Robert, but he was pretty knackered, too. Keeping up with the younger Dingles – Sarah, Noah and even Kyle – was proving to be tougher than he’d expected.  If he tuned out the sound of his screaming family members and just focused on the sound of birdsong and the wind in the trees, it was actually quite peaceful out here.

“It’s a nice spot, this.”

“Not a bad hiding place, is it?” Robert hummed and turned to face him, waggling his eyebrows. “Whatever shall we do in it?”

“Seriously?” Aaron snorted and rolled his eyes. “I’m all sweaty.”

“S’how I like you,” Robert murmured before capturing Aaron’s mouth in a kiss.

Aaron sighed and didn’t resist, kissing Robert back automatically. They stayed that way for God-knows how long, trading long, deep kisses, dirty hands cupping each other's faces and their bodes pressing together until Aaron was nearly on top of Robert. Time and their surroundings faded away, but Robert didn’t care. Until they were interrupted by the sound of an awkward cough above them.

They sprang apart, eyes flying open to see an unimpressed Cain standing over them, paintball gun resting over his shoulder.

“Can I help you?” Robert snapped, only to regret it instantly when Cain narrowed his eyes at him.

“This is paintball, not a romantic jolly in the woods.”

“It is if you try hard enou – ow!” Robert winced when Aaron elbowed him sharply and he quickly found himself dragged to his feet by his husband.

“We were just… havin’ a breather,” Aaron says with a sheepish look.

“Well at 50 quid an hour, I’ll thank you to have your breathers in your own time, lads,” Cain grouched. “Don’t let the side down, we came here to win!”

He pulled his mask back down, and disappeared through the trees. 

“Well that was embarrassin’,” Aaron muttered, cheeks still pink. 

“Just a bit,” Robert grinned unashamedly. “Worth it, though.”

He was just about to try talking Aaron into staying there with him just a little longer, when a high-pitched shout pierced through the air.

“Sugden!” Sarah called tauntingly from somewhere to their left. “I know you’re out here somewhere!”

“Oh God,” Robert groaned, picking up his gun. “She’s back.”

Aaron chuckled and pulled Robert into a brief kiss before gently pulling his mask on for him. “We’d better get going, then.”

He grabbed Robert’s hand and they took off running into the woods.


	14. possibilities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 14 – Possibilities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AU in which Robert never went to prison, so he and Victoria get an equal share of Annie's land (watch me literally just rewrite the last year of canon with Robert still in it).

“So… ” Robert turned slowly on the spot. “This is it, then. And Vic’s is the next field over.”

Aaron followed his gaze, taking in the grassy field surrounding them. “I can’t believe your Gran had all this the whole time and didn’t know it.”

“I can’t believe _Dad_ didn’t know it,” Robert scoffed, glancing back down at the old map. “So obsessed with farming land, and all that time he was sitting on two massive patches of it without a clue. Sayin’ that, it’s probably for the best. Knowing him, he probably would’ve just been forced to sell it when he cocked up the farm for the hundredth time.”

“So… what d’you want to do with it?” 

“I chatted to Vic this morning, Luke wants her to sell it – ” 

“As if it’s any of his business,” Aaron tutted.

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Robert replied, equally irritated by his little sister’s current shadow. “But she thinks she wants to keep her field. Says it’s what Gran would’ve wanted. And Dad.”

“Okay, I’ll try again,” Aaron sighed fondly and stepped closer to him. “What do _you_ wanna do?”

“Er… no idea,” Robert said with a shrug. “Could make a decent amount if we sold it, something to put into Seb’s savings account, maybe? Or a _really_ nice holiday.”

“True.”

“But I don’t want to screw Moira over. God knows farming is hard enough already – especially these days – without just losing a massive chunk of land to developers overnight. She'd take a really bad hit, and she doesn’t deserve that.”

Aaron hummed in agreement, mouth twitching in a smile. For all his ruthlessness when it came to money and business, Robert wasn’t the total bastard some people thought of him as. And despite his hatred of his upbringing, he always had a soft spot for farmers – as long as their names weren’t Jack or Andy Sugden, that was.

“Yeah, I get it. I don’t wanna mess things up for her, either, Adam would’ve been gutted.” Aaron carefully took the map out of Robert’s hands, scanning over it. “Why don’t we go talk to her, then? See what she says? Maybe you two can work out a rent payment or something?”

“Yeah, that might work.”

“Or you could even get involved in whatever she uses the field for? Split the profits or something?”

“What?” Robert frowned at him, slightly incredulous. “Me, getting into farming, are you kidding?”

“Calm down, I’m not sayin’ you’d need to go back to the 5am starts and shovelling cow muck for a living,” Aaron rolled his eyes. “But I dunno, you could maybe work together with her and Rhona, it could be an investment? There’s at least a possibility here, Rob.”

Robert looked down at the fragile land deed in his hand, considering. After a moment, he grabbed Aaron’s hand, tugging him along.

“We’d better go talk to Moira, then.”


	15. breathless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 15 – Breathless

Aaron's decision to get back into boxing was, quite frankly, the greatest thing to happen to Robert all year.

As soon as the HOP had finally opened, he’d signed himself up for boxing training classes there, eager to resume his old hobby. Robert hadn’t been too keen on the idea at first, memories of Aaron recklessly going up against dangerous, psychotic ex-cons like Jason sending alarm bells ringing in his mind.  But Aaron had reassured him that it wasn’t like the last time, the classes were perfectly safe and he knew what he was doing. More than that, it was good for him, mentally and physically. Robert hadn’t been able to say no after that.

Then once he’d come along to pick Aaron up after a training session (and maybe to scope out the place), he’d realised that the HOP’s classes were in clean, well-equipped training rooms with proper, qualified instructors – as opposed to Zak Dingle in some dodgy club or garage on the wrong side of Hotten. Nothing to worry about.

So now Aaron went to training at least twice a week and he loved it, coming back from each session with a satisfied smile on his face. He’d even started talking about becoming a qualified instructor himself, maybe for teaching kids, and honestly, how could Robert have any misgivings about something that made his husband so happy?

Besides, Robert was the one who got to see Aaron after each session, looking flushed and sweaty and _hot as hell_. As the weeks went by, Aaron’s muscles grew bigger and more defined, arms bulging until Robert could swear the sleeves of some of his t-shirts were _this_ close to ripping. Robert was the one who got to stare at them, touch them, be held by them, so he was pretty sure he was the real winner, here.

He was _definitely_ winning on one Friday evening, when Aaron walked through the door after training looking especially gorgeous, hair curling over his forehead and a light sheen of sweat covering his skin.

Jesus Christ, Robert was only human.

His body moved without him even realising it, meeting Aaron at the door and planting a kiss on his mouth before they’d even greeted each other. Aaron made a small noise of surprise but went with it immediately, kissing Robert back without hesitation.

Curling his tongue into Aaron’s mouth, Robert pawed at his damp t-shirt restlessly, peeling it up over his head before diving back in for another kiss. Aaron groaned and spun them around, slamming Robert’s back into the door and pressing against him.

“Er, hi,” he murmured, lips brushing against Robert’s. 

“Hey.” Robert slid a hand up the back of Aaron’s neck, fingers tangling themselves into dark hair and tugging slightly. Aaron’s breath hitched.

“Not that I’m complainin’, but is there a reason you're jumping me like you've not seen me for a year?”

“I missed you today and you look fit as fuck.” Robert slowly slid a leg up, hooking it around the back of Aaron’s thigh to pull him closer, pressing their crotches together. “Problem?”

“No,” Aaron shook his head, eyes zeroing in on Robert’s mouth. “No problem at all.”

Then his lips were back on Robert’s and they were kissing near-frantically, hands roaming and hips grinding together in a way that was too good to even think about stopping. Robert eventually wrenched his mouth away from Aaron's so he could trail it along his neck and lick at the salty taste of the sweat that lingered there, smirking when Aaron shivered and tilted his head to give him better access.

A few moments later, Robert swapped tongue for teeth, biting down on the tendon and sucking hard. Aaron moaned and shoved himself harder against Robert, hands wrapping around him and pulling and _lifting_ until Robert suddenly found himself dangling in mid-air. His eyes flew open as he looked down to see the leg that wasn’t already wrapped around Aaron hanging a few inches off the ground, and _holy shit_ that was hot.

“That’s new,” he said, letting out a breathless laugh and clinging onto Aaron for dear life, foot flailing for a moment before joining the other one in its vice like grip around Aaron’s body.

Aaron nodded back at him, wide-eyed and looking equally surprised at his own strength. He readjusted so he could get a better grip on Robert, one arm tight around his waist while another slid under his arse, his torso keeping Robert’s pinned to the door.

“Okay?”

Robert hummed and pressed his forehead against Aaron’s, breathing him in as he let himself be held up. He didn’t think he’d ever been so turned on in his life – and that was _including_ their first time in the garage and both of their wedding nights. Aaron seemed just as affected, judging by his heavy pants and the rock hard bulge in his jogging bottoms.

“Aaron?” 

“Mm?”

“Fuck me.”


	16. always

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 16 – Always

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> inspired by this tumblr post: https://softlass27.tumblr.com/post/632674366727094272/catastrofries-yesterday-morning-i-woke-and-i-was

If Robert was being totally honest with himself, life had been getting to him lately. There was no great drama as such, but between a string of difficult new clients at work, Jimmy spending more of his time helping Nicola at the cafe than doing his _actual_ job, another round of custody battles with Rebecca and near-constant arguments with Victoria about her involvement with the Posners… he wasn’t at his best at the moment.

Aaron had been bearing the brunt of it all, taking Robert’s swinging moods and overtired snapping with a level of patience that Robert was well aware he would never have for anyone else in his life. Robert knew he was being a bit of a bastard, and he knew he was damn lucky to have a husband who put up with him when he got like this.

He was just… feeling too stressed and out of sorts to show it as much as he wanted to right now.

With everything that was going on, his sleeping patterns had been in a right state, brain too busy and loud to let him switch off when his head hit the pillow. He spent most nights tossing and turning, before jolting awake long before his alarm went off each morning, feeling even more exhausted than he had the night more.

This morning was no different, Robert opening his eyes in his still-dark bedroom feeling uncomfortable and unrested. A quick glance at the clock told him it was barely 5am, and he groaned into his pillow. As he came further to his senses, he realised he was perched along the edge of the bed, body scrunched up awkwardly and a freezing cold foot hanging over the side. Christ, no wonder he’d woken up in such a grump.

Trying desperately to stop his brain from already mulling over everything he had to get done that day, Robert rolled away from the edge and onto his other side, only to slam straight into Aaron, whose limbs were spread-eagled right across the bed and into Robert’s space. That explained how he’d ended up on the edge, then.

Huffing with annoyance, Robert gave Aaron a gentle push, trying to get him to move back towards the vast expanse of mattress space behind him. Aaron twitched, but otherwise remained still.

Robert could feel his temper rising, just as rapidly as it had been every day for the last couple of weeks, and he took a deep breath. 

“Aaron,” he said loudly through gritted teeth, finally getting a soft, questioning hum from Aaron in return. “You are on my side.”

There was a beat, before Aaron shifted and threw an arm around Robert’s waist, snuggling right up to him until they were completely entangled, the warmth of his body seeping into Robert’s through their t-shirts.

“Always,” he murmured lightly, his lips moving feather-light against Robert’s brow. 

Before Robert could comprehend what he’d just said and formulate a reply, Aaron’s breathing slowed and evened out again. He’d gone back to sleep. Robert wasn't even sure if he'd actually woken up.

The red-hot irritation that had taken over Robert’s entire being vanished as quickly as it had come. He stared up at Aaron’s still, relaxed face and felt such a strong swell of love for him that it actually made his breathing hitch for a second.

He was married to an adorable bastard.

And when life eventually calmed down and they had a moment to just _breathe_ , Robert was whisking him off on the most luxurious holiday he could find and spending every second of it appreciating the hell out of him.


	17. yours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 17 – Yours

“Hey, I’m back!” Aaron called as he shut the front door behind him, kicking off his boots.

“Hiya,” Robert’s voice called from the kitchen, though he didn’t move to greet Aaron. “The drive alright?”

“Yeah,” Aaron made his way over to where Robert was standing next to the sink, mug in hand. “The bloke helped me load up the scrap so it didn’t take… ”

He trailed off as he joined Robert and followed his gaze.

“Robert?”

“Hm?”

“There are ducklings in the sink.” He gestured down to where two tiny, yellow ducks were merrily splashing around in the water.

“Yes.”

“Why are there ducklings in the sink?”

“Because they needed somewhere to swim.” At Aaron’s baffled silence, he continued. “Er, we sort of… own them now.”

“What d’you _mean_ we own them? Where the hell did they come from?”

“Moira, her duck eggs all hatched a couple of days ago. She took Seb and Isaac to look at them today and by the time I went to pick Seb up, these two had imprinted on him. Or he'd imprinted on them, I’m not sure. But either way, he’s completely attached now, so Moira said he could take them home and keep them.”

Robert smiled at the ducklings fondly, setting his mug aside and reaching down to gently stroke them, earning himself a series of loud _peeps_ in return.

“Their names are Huey and Dewey. Don’t ask me which is which, only Seb knows. Kind of a shame there’s no Louie, but three would’ve been a bit much.”

“I think two is a bit much!” Aaron said incredulously “You didn’t think to at least shoot me a text before agreeing to take on _two ducks_?”

Robert stared at him for a moment, before sighing. “Left your phone on silent again, did you?”

Aaron pulled his phone out of his pocket to see a series of missed calls and messages from Robert – including a photo of Seb and the two baby ducks, captioned with: _seb’s fallen in love with the ducklings and I can’t bring myself to separate them help!!! x_

“Oh.” Aaron slid the phone back into his pocket sheepishly. “Fair enough.”

His hand joined Robert’s in the water, gingerly touching one of the ducklings’ drenched feathers.

“How are we meant to look after ducks? I don’t know anythin’ about ducks!”

“No, but I do.”

“Since _when_?”

Robert looked at him oddly. “You do remember I grew up on a farm, right?”

“So you’ve… ”

“Taking care of the baby animals was the only thing I was any good at, honestly. I’ve looked after ducks before, they’re dead easy. Easier than lots of normal pets, so Seb should be able to look after them with a bit of help.”

“Don’t they need somewhere to swim properly n’that?”

“They only need a small pond, and we were planning to put one in the garden soon anyway. And I’ve ordered a little duck house for them to live in, it’s arriving tomorrow. Moira’s given us that in the meantime.”

Robert jerked a thumb over towards the coffee table, and Aaron spotted a small, nest-like cardboard box padded with shavings, with what looked like a bag of some sort of feed next to it.

“They can stay in there for tonight, as long as we keep them warm enough.”

Any further arguments Aaron was about to make were cut off at the sound of small feet racing down the stairs. Seb dashed into the kitchen, barely stopping to acknowledge Aaron as he skidded to a stop in front of the sink and jumped up on his tiptoes.

“Are they okay?”

“They’re fine, mate, still swimming.”

“Daddy, look!” Seb tugged on Aaron’s sleeve excitedly. “Baby ducks!”

“I see them,” Aaron smiled at the enamoured look on his son’s face, and he supposed he couldn’t blame Robert for indulging him. “They’re all yours, are they?”

“Yep, I’m gonna take care of them,” Seb nodded seriously. “Daddy says he’ll show me how. And Nessa’s gonna come see them tomorrow, too.”

“Yeah, I texted her,” Robert added. “Thought it was best to get a vet to check them over, give us any extra tips.” He grabbed a couple of small towels. “Shall we bring them out now, get them nice and dry?”

Aaron watched as Robert lifted the wriggling ducklings out of the water and onto the towels, showing Seb how to carefully dry them until their feathers were light and fluffy, and okay, Aaron had to admit, they _were_ pretty cute. He sighed and sat down next to his son, taking a fresh towel so he could help.

“Guess we’re a family of five now.”


	18. things left unsaid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 18 – Things left unsaid
> 
> AU where Robert's in prison but he and Aaron are still in contact (either Robert never cut Aaron off or Aaron managed to get him to change his mind)

The queue for the phones, as always, seems to take forever. Robert taps his feet on the concrete floor irritably, as he waits for the skinhead in front of him to finish talking to his mate. 

Finally, he hangs up and steps aside, and Robert grabs the phone. His fingers automatically dial the number at top speed and he presses it to his ear, holding onto it like the lifeline it is.

The phone barely rings once, before there’s a click and an answer.

“Hey, you.”

Robert’s mouth curls into an instant smile, the tension that he nearly always carries with him melting away.

“How d’you always know it’s me?”

“Think I’ve made it clear to just about everyone we know not to even _think_ about trying to call me anywhere near 6 o’clock,” Aaron replies lightly. “Not if they know what’s good for them.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Robert chuckles back at him. “So, how are you?”

“Good.” There's a brief slurping sound, like Aaron's taking a sip of tea. Robert wonders if he's using his _World’s Best Husband_ mug. “You?”

“Oh y’know, keeping busy, making friends.”

There’s a snort down the line. “Yeah, I bet.”

They chat for a few minutes, just random nonsense as they revel in the chance to hear each others’ voices again, however brief.

“Got a meeting with the solicitor in the morning,” Aaron says. “We’re gonna go over more some stuff for the hearing.”

“Another one? Don’t you have to work?”

“Nah, Vinny can handle it. Besides, this is more important.”

An uncomfortable but familiar flicker of guilt flares in Robert’s chest. “Your life shouldn’t revolve around working on a bloody appeal, Aaron.”

“My life revolves around _you_ , which means it revolves around the appeal. Don’t start with me, I’m not havin’ this argument again, Rob. The sooner this appeal goes through, the sooner your sentence gets reduced, and the sooner you can come home.”

“We don’t even know if it’ll work.”

“It’ll work,” Aaron shoots back, no hesitation. “We’ll get through this, Robert, I promise.”

Robert swallows thickly, before nodding as if Aaron can see him. 

“Okay,” he whispers, before groaning when he sees the building queue forming behind him and the guard tapping his watch with a scowl.  “Shit, I have to go.”

“Already?” Aaron says mournfully, as he does every time. 

Robert doesn’t know why they’re always so surprised, they’ve been doing this for almost a year now.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be, it’s not your fault,” Aaron’s voice has this easy, casual lightness to it that Robert knows is entirely put on for his benefit. He knows this is killing Aaron just as much as it is him. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay? And I’ll see you in six days – less than a week, it’ll fly by.”

“Yeah… ” Robert whispers back, before scrunching his eyes shut against the inevitable sting of tears and resting his head against the wall. He wonders if saying goodbye each night will ever stop being this hard.

“Aaron, I… ”

_I’m sorry, I wish things were different, I miss kissing you, I’d give anything to be home._

“…I love you.”

“I know,” Aaron whispers back softly, like he could hear everything Robert didn’t say. “I love you, too. Don’t forget that, yeah?”

“I won’t.”

“Okay. Night then, Mr Dingle.”

“G’night, Mr Sugden.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that may have been a little too angsty of flufftober I apologise


	19. hand holding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 19 – Hand holding
> 
> Set in 2018, just after Seb moves into the Mill and during the drink spiking storyline.
> 
> Partially inspired by this ADORABLE gifset: https://softlass27.tumblr.com/post/614935433288220672/robertisanidiot-robert-seb-holding-hands

_ Late March 2018 _

It’s the end of a rough day; Aaron’s just finished another shouting match with Liv and the family is in total disarray over what’s happened to Lisa. He’s barely had a chance to even _speak_ to Robert, let alone spend proper time with him or Seb. 

As Liv storms up to her room, door slamming behind her with a loud bang, Seb startles in Robert’s arms and starts to fuss, gurgling unhappily at the disturbance. Aaron watches Robert cuddle Seb closer, bouncing him lightly where they're curled up on the sofa.

“It’s okay, mate,” he murmurs. “Just a silly door.”

He readjusts Seb in his arms so he can offer the baby one of his hands to hold. Seb’s tiny fingers quickly latch onto Robert’s forefinger, and Robert gently strokes his thumb over the top of them. The motion seems to have an instant soothing effect, as Seb’s cries vanish as quickly as they arrived.

“That’s a good trick,” Aaron says, sitting next to them.

“Yeah, I discovered it a few weeks back, always works. It keeps him calm, I think.”

Aaron smiles at the way Seb gazes up at Robert intently, eyes solely fixed on his dad’s face, while Robert looks back down at him with an almost identical expression.

“I’m sorry,” he says quietly, smile fading.

Robert finally tears his eyes away from Seb to frown at him. “What for?”

“I suggested Seb could move in here so he’d be in a more stable home, somewhere safe. Peaceful.” He sighs and reaches out to tentatively rub a finger along Seb’s wriggling foot. “Hasn't exactly worked out that way.”

“Aaron… ” Robert looks at him in that patient, understanding way that Aaron didn’t realise how much he’d missed over the last few months. “Don’t be daft, you don’t have to be sorry. You didn’t know what was about to happen.”

“I should’ve seen it coming.”

“Oh, did you become psychic while we were broken up? Did I miss that?”

Aaron rolls his eyes. “No, but – ”

“No, so there’s no way you could’ve known. None of this is on you.”

Aaron sighs and nods, leaning into him. They watch Seb in silence for a few moments, Robert still holding onto his hand.

“For what it’s worth,” Aaron eventually mumbles into Robert’s shoulder. “M’really glad he’s here. That you’re both here.”

“Yeah?” Robert’s smile is blinding, and it makes Aaron’s stomach swoop.

“Yeah. We’re a family now, aren’t we?”

Robert nods and presses a brief kiss to Aaron’s mouth, lips warm and soft.

“Course we are.” 


	20. enigmatic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 20 – Enigmatic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> continuing my trend of "canon if robert was still here" fics
> 
> some context for those who aren't up to speed on the show: bernice recently offered to sell the salon to leyla or mandy – whoever could come up with the money first. mandy won (thanks to paul's dodgy gambling winnings) so now she owns it – despite the fact that she knows sod all about how to run a business. and she's already made the place even more hideously tacky than it already was.

Aaron sighed as he closed the front door behind him, rolling his aching shoulders with a wince. Having just spent six hours on a scrap run, he was officially knackered. All he wanted to do was order a pizza, have a cold beer and curl up with Robert on the sofa for the rest of the night. 

As he kicked his shoes off and walked further into the house, he saw Robert sitting with his laptop at the kitchen table, surrounded by a mass of paperwork.

“Hiya,” he sighed, dropping a kiss on the side of Robert’s head on his way to the fridge.

“Hello,” Robert said around the pen that was held between his teeth, grinning brightly.

Aaron took the cap off his beer bottle and took a long gulp, before pulling up a chair opposite Robert. 

“Busy?” 

Robert hummed, stretching his arms over his head. “Can I run something by you?”

There was an enigmatic look in his eyes, like there was something he’d been dying to tell Aaron all day.

“Go on, then.”

“I spoke to Bernice this morning.”

Aaron blinked, nonplussed. Of all the things he'd been expecting, it wasn't that. Far as he knew, Robert and Bernice had barely had contact since she'd buggered off to the other side of the world.

“Bernice? She coming back to the village or summat?”

“No, the opposite actually. She’s definitely staying put in Australia.”

“Okay… what does this have to do with you?”

“She’s decided to sell the salon,” Robert said, fiddling with his pen. “And she wanted to give me first dibs on it.”

Aaron frowned. “As in… she wants you to be the new owner.”

“Yep.”

“ _You?_ ”

“Well don’t sound so – ”

“You’re her first choice.”

“Technically, Nicola was. Bernice wanted her to take it over, since they’re family n'all. But since Nicola’s just bought the cafe, she can’t be taking on another new business right now, so she turned her down. I’m second choice, apparently.”

“Why?”

“If it doesn’t go to family – which I am, sort of – she wants it to still be someone in the village. So if not me, then the next option would have to be Leyla or Mandy. Which… ” He shuddered. “Could you imagine the amount of leopard print Mandy would assault the place with? Talk about an eyesore.”

Aaron stared at him, still trying to comprehend what he was hearing.

“Do you know anything about salons?”

“A bit… ” Robert looked slightly hesitant all of a sudden. “Chrissie owned about half a dozen of them while we were together.”

There was an uncomfortable, but brief, jolt to Aaron’s system at the mention of Robert’s ex-wife. It would probably always be there, but hearing her name didn’t actually bother him, not anymore. He smiled encouragingly, gesturing for Robert to continue. Robert smiled back, resting his elbows on the table.

“Okay, so I used to help her out with them sometimes. Go over the books, help her with pitches, come up with marketing ideas, that sort of thing. So it’s not totally new to me. And it’s not like I’d actually be the one cutting anyone’s hair or doing nails or anything.”

Aaron snorted. “Well I should hope not, not after what you did to my hair on lockdown.”

“How many times, I’ve said I’m sorry! It grew back, didn’t it?”

“I had to wear a hat for two months.” 

Robert rolled his eyes. “ _Anyway_ , it’s a business like any other, right? As long as I can manage the finances, beat the competition and get decent staff, it should be a piece of cake.”

Aaron nodded slowly.

“You think it’s mad?”

“No, “ Aaron said quickly. “Just… I can’t believe you'd want to work with Mandy of all people, for starters.”

Robert gave him an odd look. “I wouldn’t be working with Mandy. She’d have to go. In fact, she’ll be the _first_ thing to go.”

“Good luck telling that to my lot.”

Robert waved an unconcerned hand in the air and powered on. “Honestly, staffing issues would be the least of my concern, there’s loads of stuff that would need changing.”

“So you wouldn’t just keep the place running as it is, then?”

“No, Bernice sent me some stuff to look at and I’ve spent all day going through it. Long story short; it's totally outdated, the whole thing needs an overhaul,” Robert said, shuffling through some of the paperwork. “It’d be a completely different place by the time I was done with it.”

He pushed a handful of printouts in Aaron’s direction, showing images of trendy-looking salons with sleek, shiny hairdressing stations and cream-carpeted beauty rooms.

“Something classy and modern, more gender neutral. Less tacky pink,” he said with a grimace. “Properly trained, competent employees, not ones who show up looking like they got ready in the dark. That means no Kerry and _definitely_ no Mandy.  Vic’s always complaining about how she has to go all the way into town to get a decent haircut or have her nails done. Do you know anyone in the village under the age of 50 who _actually goes_ to Bernice’s place?”

Aaron cast his mind back to the time they’d both watched Marlon sprinting out of the salon with half-dyed hair, screaming at Kerry to stay away from him, and shook his head with a chuckle.

“Don’t think they ever get any men in there, either.”

“Exactly!” Robert grinned, pointing at one of the printouts showing examples of leather barber chairs he'd researched. “So that’s already about half the residents who don’t even consider setting foot in the place. Which is ridiculous, when you compare that to businesses like the HOP or the cafe.

“And if we were aiming for a younger, more diverse crowd, it would need social media, too. Bernice didn’t even use _Instagram_ , for God’s sake. And then there’s Take a Vow; Leyla’s business is really taking off now and there’s loads of deals we could do with her – hen dos, wedding packages, that sort of thing. I bet if we did everything properly, we could double the client numbers – and the profit – within a year.”

Robert’s eyes gleamed with that passionate energy he always got when talking about new business opportunities. It was a look that Aaron hadn’t seen for a while, and he couldn’t help smiling at him with slight bemusement.

“You really want to do this, don’t you?”

Robert paused, before shrugging.

“I can pretty much run the haulage with my eyes closed. The only thing I really like about it is that I get to spend most of the day with you,” he winked, causing Aaron to roll his eyes fondly. 

“My heart’s not really in it anymore, especially since Jimmy and Nicola have pretty much ditched everything for the cafe and left me to run it single-handedly,” he scowled, before fixing Aaron with an earnest expression. “I wouldn’t mind a change, a new challenge… and I reckon I could make a good go of it. But I’ll only do it if you’re onboard; Bernice has given me a couple of days to think it over, we have time to decide. So… what do you think?”

“I think… you can do anything you set your mind to.”

Robert’s face lit up, overtaken by a wide smile. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Aaron nodded, laughing at his husband’s excitement. “If it’s what you want, then of course you should go for it.”

Robert leapt from his seat and yanked Aaron up with him, pulling him in for a kiss.

“Best husband ever,” he murmured happily, grinning against Aaron’s lips.

“Don’t you forget it.”


	21. i don't understand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 21 – I don't understand
> 
> Entirely inspired by this post: https://wholesomeme.tumblr.com/post/625910482962923520

“I don’t understand.”

At the sound of Aaron's frustrated huff, Robert looked up from the book he was reading and bit back a sigh. His husband had been playing some medieval warrior video game for _hours_ now, and he didn’t seem to be anywhere near done with it.

“What’s up?” He asked through gritted teeth, trying very hard to sound like he cared.

“This fucking… demon witch won’t fucking _die_.” Aaron jabbed the controller buttons viciously as he said it, only to groan when his character was killed off. Again. “Oh, come on!”

“Can’t you just stab her?”

“I’ve tried! I’ve used every weapon I have, nothing works!” Aaron restarted the level and went up against her once more.“Would you stop zapping me, you stupid cow!”

Shockingly, the witch onscreen paid him no heed and obliterated his character yet again. 

“Oh, she made you explode that time,” Robert said mildly.

Aaron ignored him and continued playing, muttering angrily to himself. Any chance Robert had of spending a nice, relaxing evening with his husband – some wine and cuddling, maybe even a candlelit dinner – was looking increasingly unlikely. 

Unless.

Robert craned his neck to get a better look at the case the game had come in, eyes scanning over the name on the cover. Keeping one hand on his paperback, he slid his phone out of his pocket and brought up google so he could type in the name of the game, plus the level Aaron was currently stuck on.

It only took a quick minute of reading, his phone concealed behind the pages of his book, before he discreetly tucked it away and cleared his throat.

“Maybe you have to find a new weapon?”

“Hm?” Aaron frowned, barely glancing away from the screen.

“Maybe you don’t already have what you need to kill her? Is there anywhere you can look for something else… in that cave, perhaps?” Robert suggested as innocently as he could, pointing to the screen.

“Huh,” Aaron paused, before changing the direction of his character, walking him towards the mouth of the cave. “Suppose it can’t hurt to look.”

He explored the interiors briefly, before sighing. “No, there’s nowt here.”

“You haven’t looked in the water yet,” Robert snapped quickly. “Ahem, I mean, uh… your character can swim, right? There’s a rock pool there, maybe there’s something in it?”

Aaron shot him an odd look, before shrugging and following his advice. It only took a minute of searching before he came across a shimmering blue sword lying on the floor of the pool.

“Whoa, look at this! Looks magical, right?”

“Definitely looks like it’d work on a witch,” Robert said, amused smile concealed behind his book. “Give it a shot.”

Aaron quickly led his newly-armed character back to the witch, swiping viciously until she perished with a shriek. As the screen faded and began to load the next level, Aaron whooped and threw his arms over his head in victory.

“Finally!”

“Nice one. So… you playing the next level?”

_ Please say no, I don’t want to have to keep looking it up on my phone. _

“Nah, next time.” Aaron blinked and rubbed his eyes, before glancing around the room in bewilderment. “Uh, when the hell did it get dark?”

“Couple of hours ago.”

“Didn’t notice. God, I’m starving.”

“Dinner?”

“Yeah, dinner.”

Robert sighed with relief and made his way to the kitchen. 

“Get the wine out, would you?” He called as he started rummaging through the food cupboard.

“On it.”

Aaron poured them a couple of glasses and passed one to Robert.

“How the hell did you know to look for that sword?” He asked, taking a sip.

Robert busied himself with turning the oven, fighting a smug grin. “Lucky guess.”

If cheating on his husband's behalf meant Robert got his date night on time, he was definitely pulling that trick again.


	22. do you trust me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 22 – Do you trust me?
> 
> Set not long after Robert gets out of prison (quite a bit earlier than planned), the morning after his first night back at the Mill.

Robert padded quietly down the spiral staircase. The ground floor of the Mill was shrouded in darkness, only a hint of early morning light creeping in through the gaps in the blinds and curtains. He crossed the living room towards the back door, slowly turning the lock and slipping outside, before walking into the garden.

There was a hush over the village, too early for anyone to be starting their day yet. He thought he could hear the faint rumble of a van nearby, perhaps a delivery for David’s shop. Other than that, the only sound came from the wind rustling through the trees above him. 

Robert took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air that he was still getting used to, letting it fill his lungs and settle something within him. The scent of grass, the rain from last night and something entirely _Yorkshire_. 

Home. Nowhere else like it.

He’d noticed the difference the last time he'd returned to the village, when he'd come with Chrissie and Lawrence, swapping London smog for clear countryside. He’d been startled by it then, the way it was both new and impossibly familiar at the same time. The contrast was even more profound now.

There was never any air in prison. The building was always stuffy, always making him feel claustrophobic and suffocated. And the little fresh air he did get, during the brief times he was allowed outside to exercise, wasn’t the same. The harsh coastal wind carried the smell of the sea into the yard, giving the air an unpleasant salty tang that set his teeth on edge. It reminded him of exactly how far from home he was.

Robert didn’t think he’d ever willingly go to the beach again.

A cold wetness was beginning to seep through his socks, the grass still soaked from the earlier rainfall. After a moment’s hesitation, he leaned down and peeled them off. Feeling like he was about Seb’s age, he curled his toes into the green blades, quietly delighting at the way the mud squelched between them. He’d almost forgotten the feel of soft terrain beneath his feet, so used to rough concrete.

There was life here, life in the air and in the ground, in the people around him. His family, his neighbours, his friends. For so long he’d been trapped somewhere that was the complete opposite, somewhere hard and stale, with no room to breathe. It had been lifeless. Robert had been lifeless. And now he had to figure out how to start living again.

How long he stood there, motionless, bare feet turning slightly blue in the cold garden, he had no idea. It wasn’t until someone called his name that he moved again.

“Robert?”

He turned to see a frowning Aaron stood in the doorway. When Robert didn’t say anything, he made his way out into the garden, approaching him tentatively.

“It’s freezing. What’re you doing?”

“Woke up early, couldn’t get back to sleep.” He probably didn’t need to clarify that he hadn’t been allowed the chance to sleep in for over three years. Judging by the look Aaron gave him, he knew what Robert meant.

“It’s so quiet,” Robert nearly whispered, oddly nervous to risk breaking the silence with the sound of his voice, like doing so would break some sort of spell. “Peaceful.”

Aaron didn’t say anything for a long moment, the expressions on his face shifting as he looked Robert over, eyes glancing down at his bare feet.

“Wait here a sec,” he said eventually, and darted back in the house.

Just a few moments later, he returned with a couple of blankets slung over his arm, plus a pair of woollen socks. He spread one of the blankets out on the ground and sat cross-legged on it, before gesturing for Robert to join him.

“We having a picnic for breakfast?” Robert asked, mouth twitching as he took a seat beside him.

“You need food for a picnic.” Aaron passed Robert the socks. “We’re just sitting.”

Once Robert had wiggled his damp, muddy feet into the thick socks, Aaron took the other blanket and tucked it around both their shoulders. They had to huddle for it to stretch far enough to cover both of them, limbs tangling and bodies practically fused together until they could feel each other’s heartbeats. Robert sighed at the warmth and relaxed into it.

“Did you sleep okay?” Aaron asked quietly.

“Eventually.”

“Eventually? What, last night wasn’t tiring enough for you?” Aaron gave him a teasing nudge, his light attempt at humour only slightly betrayed by the hint of concern in his eyes.

Robert smirked and shook his head.

“No, I was knackered, trust me. I just… ” He hesitated for a second, considered brushing it away, before deciding to stick with the truth. That was the least he owed Aaron, after all this time. “I didn’t want to close my eyes. It felt too good to be true, y’know?”

Aaron just watched him in silence, the fingers of his right hand tracing absently up and down Robert’s arm.

“It was like… I was finally home, I was finally lying next to you again and… I dunno. Part of me was scared that if I shut my eyes and went to sleep, I’d wake up back in my cell. You wouldn’t be there, and I’d be alone again.”

His chin wobbled on the last word and he bit his lip, swallowing thickly around the lump in his throat. Aaron sighed, his hand stilling on Robert’s arm.

“I’m here. We’re both here, Rob.”

“I know, it’s just… being back, being out 11 years earlier than I was meant to be… it’s still so surreal, it’s hard to believe that it actually happened, that I’ve got my life back. I just can’t trust it sometimes.”

And that was why he’d been standing there, wasn’t it? In his pyjamas at the crack of dawn, barefoot in his garden, to try and remind himself of where he was. And where he wasn’t.

“I get it,” Aaron nodded, patient as ever. “Do you trust _me_?”

As if that was even a question.

“Course I do.”

“Then trust me when I say that this is real. I’m not going anywhere, the house isn’t going anywhere. And you’re _definitely_ not going anywhere, not now that I've got you back. Trust me on that, even when you can’t trust anythin’ else, yeah?” 

Robert let out a shaky breath and nodded, before letting Aaron kiss him softly, a chaste press of their lips together. It was a sharp contrast to the previous night.

When their mouths parted, Robert let his head fall on Aaron’s shoulder, eyes slipping closed, cocooned in the warmth of the blanket and Aaron’s arms.

“Okay?” Aaron’s breath hit Robert’s forehead lightly, and he hummed in acknowledgement.

“I’m good. Just wanna sit for a bit.”

“Okay, we can do that. ” Aaron said, cheek resting on Robert’s head. “S’nice out here, dunno why we didn’t spend more time in the garden before.”

“We can do it now.” Robert reopened his eyes and took in their surroundings, looked up at the rising sun. “We have time.”


	23. childhood bedroom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 23 – Childhood bedroom

“What about this one?”

“No,” Robert dismissed him immediately. “Too small.”

Aaron bit back a sigh and trailed after his husband through the never-ending wilderness of IKEA.

“Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he’s a pretty small kid. So I don’t think a small bed would be much of a problem.”

“We want it to be comfy, though!” Robert snapped. “Plenty of space for pillows and his teddies and everything.”

Aaron decided, for the sake of his marriage, not to argue any further.

It was just two days until Seb was due to come and live with them full-time; the result of a stressful, lengthy custody battle that had turned out to be absolutely worth it in the end. Because they’d won, and their little boy would be coming home in just under 48 hours.

Robert was a vibrating ball of energy, flitting from one thing to the next. Finding Seb a new nursery, making sure they had every single food option he could possibly want, getting them subscribed to Disney Plus, sorting out a new wardrobe for him (as if they didn’t already have heaps of his clothes at their place), and splurging on far more new toys and books than Seb would ever need.

And now the bedroom.

Robert had decided, as he so often did, to go all out. Aaron had found him just finishing off repainting Seb’s room a soft, pale blue at 6 o’clock in the morning. He didn’t even know when Robert had _bought_ paint.  He’d barely had a chance to open his mouth before Robert was dragging them both into the shower and hurrying them out the door, insisting they needed to fill the room with new furniture.

So now, they’d been in IKEA for over two hours, Robert carefully jotting down the code for each item they picked out. Wardrobe, toy box, artwork, ceiling lights, bookcase… they had nearly everything they needed.

If only Robert would just pick out a bloody bed.

“Look, this one is blue, matches the colour you painted the walls,” Aaron tried again, crossing his fingers.

Robert surveyed it for a moment, considering. Just as Aaron was about to get his hopes up, he shook his head.

“Nah, we don’t want it to be _too_ blue, y’know?”

Aaron very nearly cried.

“Rob, we’ve been here forever, my feet are killin’ me. If you don’t just choose one soon, this shopping trip will end in divorce.”

“It has to be right, though!” Robert retorted, looking frustrated. “I just… I want it to be perfect for him.”

“It will be,” Aaron huffed a small laugh. “You know he’s dead excited to come live with us.”

“Yeah, he says that now, but it might be different when it actually happens,” Robert said, worrying his bottom lip. “What if he doesn’t settle? What if he decides the Mill was okay for visits but not what he wants full-time? What if he _hates_ _it_ , Aaron?”

“Please don’t spiral, we’re in the middle of IKEA.”

“Don’t make fun of me.”

“Don’t be so ridiculous, then!” Aaron threw his hands up, before dropping them to his sides with a sigh, tilting his head at Robert. “Everything’s gonna be okay, yeah? We won, we get to bring him home. He _wants_ to come home, I know he does.”

He took a step closer until their chests were almost pressed together, leaning into Robert.

“We’ve done the hard part already, that’s finished.” He took Robert’s hand in his, fingers loosely intertwined. “Now we get to be happy and excited, eh?”

Robert let out a long breath and nodded, giving Aaron’s hand a brief squeeze. “I know. I _am_ excited, I swear. I’m just… ”

“Nervous? Stressed? A bit neurotic?”

Robert’s mouth twitched. “All of the above.”

Aaron was about to reply, when he spotted something over Robert’s shoulder and grinned widely.

“What?” Robert frowned.

“Found it.” Aaron yanked on Robert’s hand and dragged him in the direction of the bed he’d seen.

“This is the one.”

Robert looked over the white child-sized bed, which came with a built-in ladder at one end and a slide on the other, and he _finally_ cracked a proper smile.

“I would’ve _killed_ for a bed like this when I was a kid.”

“Me too, it’s so cool,” Aaron said gleefully, wandering around the bed to take in every detail.

“You’re such a big kid.”

“Which means I know what I’m talking about. Come on, we have to get him this one, it’s brilliant. It has a _slide_ , Rob.”

Robert chuckled and pulled out the pad of paper he’d been using to write down their purchases.

“Come on then, read out the code for me.”


	24. serendipity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 24 – Serendipity
> 
> yet another "canon if robert was still here" ficlet!

Aaron blinks awake slowly, eyes squinting through the darkness to look at the neon numbers of the alarm clock on his bedside table. 3:24 am.

He stares blearily at it for a moment, sleep-fogged brain trying to work out what woke him up. And then it registers – the steady hammering of rain against the window, the autumn gale howling outside, hard enough to rattle the window pane ever-so slightly.

He sighs sleepily, burrowing further under the duvet and tucking it around himself, blocking out the creeping chill in the air. Gravitates towards the living, breathing radiator next to him and tangles their legs together. Robert huffs softly in his sleep, nose bumping into Aaron’s forehead. Aaron sighs once more, closes his eyes and wonders if it’ll still be raining when morning comes.

*

It is.

Aaron wakes to the sounds of an even heavier downpour and Robert chuckling from somewhere to his left. He opens his eyes and turns his head to see Robert stood with his back to him, looking out the window, his shoulders shaking with mirth.

Aaron eases himself out of bed and joins him by the window, peeking over his shoulder.

“What’s so funny?”

“Jamie Tate,” Robert points. “He’s just fallen in a puddle.”

Aaron follows his finger and spots Tate on Main Street near their house, sprawled on his backside in a massive puddle of dirty rainwater. His vet’s bag is lying toppled on its side a few feet away, having clearly gone flying out of his hand when he slipped.

Aaron huffs a laugh into Robert’s pyjama top. “Brilliant.”

They watch, still giggling, as Tate pushes himself up, shouting and swearing to no one in particular on the deserted street, before looking down at himself in dismay. His clothes are soaked, and when he bends over to pick up his bag, they get a full view of the muddy wet patch all over his arse.

They spot David appearing in the doorway of his shop, an unsympathetic smirk on his face as he calls out something they can’t hear. Whatever he says, it’s enough to make Jamie lose his shit, as he whirls around and starts yelling again, practically shaking his fist in the shopkeeper’s direction. David just laughs and retreats back inside.

“What an idiot,” Robert cackles as Tate stomps off like a child having a tantrum. Even _Seb’s_ never thrown a hissy fit like it, and he’s still in the terrible two’s.

“I’ll have to let Belle know, might put a smile on her face.”

Robert turns to face him, stretching his arms over his head. “I dunno why the bloke sticks around. No one can stand him.”

“S’what the Tates do, innit? Piss everyone off, then go hide and feel sorry for themselves in their little castle.”

“Please,” Robert drops his arms with a scoff. “Jamie Tate is _not_ cut out to run somewhere like Home Farm, not without his mummy to do everything for him. . Tenner says he’ll be gone with his tail between his legs by Christmas.”

“You’re on,” Aaron grins, the serendipity of catching such a hilarious sight putting in an unusually good mood for this time of day. He wraps his arms around Robert’s waist and drops a brief kiss on his lips. “Hey. Morning.”

Robert loops his arms around the back of Aaron’s neck, mouth curling into a soft smile. “Good morning.”

“Raining outside.”

“Yes it is,” Robert replies, amused.

“Back to bed, then?” Aaron’s already tugging him, moving them back until they topple down on to the sheets.

“You read my mind.”


	25. resilience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 25 – Resilience
> 
> AU where robert only went to prison for a few months (shh just go with it)

When Robert walked through the door, barely 20 minutes after he’d left, Aaron looked up in surprise.

“Hey, you’re back early,” he said, smile turning tentative when he saw the dark look on Robert’s face.

“Wendy showed up at Vic’s.”

Oh.

“Right. Guessing she kicked off at you, then?”

Robert sighed and shrugged his coat off before moving to join Aaron on the sofa.

“Yep.” He picked up Aaron’s legs and sat down, placing them on his lap. “So Vic asked me to leave.”

“Seriously?”

“Said my being there was upsetting her.”

“But Vic invited _you_ round for tea. And what, that cow shows up unannounced so you have to be the one to go?”

“Apparently,” Robert shrugged, looking tired and upset. “Y’know, it was bad enough when Vic used to do it with Andy. But at least then, I got why, we were both her brothers. I didn’t blame her for feeling stuck in the middle. But siding with her, with that scumbag’s family? I don’t understand it.”

Aaron dropped his head back in frustration, silently raging on his husband’s behalf. 

“I’m sorry,” he sighed, stroking his foot against Robert’s thigh.

It was safe to say, things between Robert and Victoria had been increasingly strained for the last year. Ever since the day he’d whacked Lee Posner over the head with a shovel, really.

Then not long after that day, the news came – Lee was dead. And for a few horrible, terrifying hours that Aaron never, _ever_ wanted to experience again, they’d thought Robert would be going down for murder, only for the doctors to reveal that the cause of death had actually been a ruptured aneurysm. It had been lying there in his brain for months already, and would have soon killed him whether Robert had hit him or not.

It had taken a bloody good, bloody _expensive_ lawyer, but they’d managed to whittle the charge down to GBH. Between Robert’s cooperation with the authorities, his squeaky-clean record and his position as an upstanding member of the community (Aaron had to bite down a smirk when he heard that in the gallery), he was sentenced to just one year in prison. And he barely served six months of it.

But six months was all it had taken for Victoria to fully align herself with the Posners. By the time Robert returned to Emmerdale in the spring, Lee’s family had moved into a cottage in the village, and Vic had formed a new relationship with Lee’s brother, Luke, and bonded with Wendy over Harry. After everything Robert had gone through – what they’d _all_ gone through – the way Victoria welcomed them with open arms was painfully difficult to comprehend.

But Robert had gritted his teeth, tried to get on with things, kept his distance and refused to react to Wendy’s furious screeching. It didn’t matter how many doctors told her otherwise; as far as the old bat was concerned, Robert was the one who’d taken her precious rapist son away and deserved nothing less than a life behind bars. She never missed on opportunity to tell Robert so, either.

Victoria usually put up a half-hearted defence on Robert’s behalf, but refused to actually stick her neck out for him and tell Wendy to back off, too reluctant to rock the boat with her newfound… family? Just the thought of it was enough to make Aaron laugh bitterly.

Now, it was another six months down the line and Robert’s resilience was beginning to waver. He tried to hide how much the constant harassment was getting to him, but Aaron wasn’t fooled. He knew the only thing keeping Robert going at this point was having his support and knowing that, for once, the majority of the village was also firmly on his side. The Posners were the most unpopular residents Emmerdale had seen for quite some time, and it was rare for Wendy to get more than 30 seconds into one of her tirades before one of their neighbours appeared and told her to do one.

At the weary look in Robert’s eyes, Aaron sat up and crossed his legs, leaning into him.

“We can’t go on like this,” he said quietly. “It’s making you miserable.”

“Yeah?” Robert sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “What d’you suggest, run her out of the village with pitchforks?” 

“Don’t see why not, I can make a few calls. Bet there’d be loads willing to give us a hand, Sam’d definitely lend us the forks if nothing else.”

Robert huffed a small laugh, before sobering quickly and shaking his head. “We can’t start anything with her. I can’t let things escalate like they did with him.”

_Him_ , being Lee. The reason Robert went to prison and the reason why he’d been quiet and cautious ever since, shying away from any confrontation that presented itself to him.

“For Christ’s sake, Rob, we can’t even take Seb out without having to worry about bumping into her. This is our home, it's ridiculous.”

“You think I don’t know that? Look, we just have ignore her, she can’t keep it up forever.” 

“But Rob – ”

“She’s just waiting for an excuse, Aaron,” Robert snapped, cutting him off. “If I rise to it, if I lose my temper and slip up just once, she’ll be on the phone to the police and trying to get me back inside!”

“That’s not happening, I won’t let it. Six months away from you was _more_ than enough, trust me.” Aaron cupped a hand on Robert’s jaw and tilted his head. “And I was actually thinking of something a little more official.”

He pressed a quick kiss to Robert’s cheek and pushed himself up from the sofa, heading for the kitchen.

“What’re you doing?” Robert frowned at him.

“Hang on a sec.” 

Aaron pulled a notebook out of a drawer and returned to sit next to Robert, flipping it open.

“Here.” He pushed it into Robert’s hands.

Robert scanned over Aaron’s handwritten notes, turning the pages slowly.

“What’s… ”

“I started making a note of all the times Wendy’s harassed us. All the times she’s attacked you in the street. Or in the pub, the cafe, wherever. And I’ve put down any witnesses I can remember.” Aaron pointed at some of the names of villagers he’d written down.

“Why?”

“So we can use it as evidence to get a restraining order, make sure she stays away from our family for good.” 

Robert’s head shot up to stare at him. “You think that’ll work?”

“I don’t see why not; I’ve looked it up and the shit she’s been pulling definitely fits the criteria. It has to be worth a shot, right?”

Robert paused for a moment, a small smile creeping onto his face. “We live in a tiny village, it’d be nearly impossible for her to keep to it.”

“So if she didn’t want to risk getting arrested, she’d just have to move out of Emmerdale, wouldn’t she?”

Robert’s smile widened into a full-on grin, smug and devious in a way Aaron’s hadn’t seen for a long time.

“That’s brilliant.” His face suddenly fell slightly. “God help us when Vic finds out, she’d be gutted. Not to mention pissed off.”

“I’m gonna say this as nicely as I can.” Aaron hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “Vic’s feelings aren’t our problem. Especially considering she hasn’t given a damn about yours these last few months. If she’s angry, then fine, let her be. Then hopefully, in time, she’ll calm down and remember where her loyalties lie.”

Robert sighed, folding the notebook shut. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.”

“So, we’re doing it?”

“We’re doing it,” Robert said, squeezing Aaron’s hand with his own. “You’re a genius.”

“Been tellin’ you that for years, mate,” Aaron huffed, before his smile turned sheepish. “Alright, _technically_ it was Nicola’s idea.”

“Nicola?”

“Yeah, she heard me complaining about Wendy and gave me some advice about it, told me to start keepin' a record of everything. Says she has a lot of experience with restraining orders, so she knows what she’s talking about.”

“What the hell does _that_ mean?”

“Thought it best not to ask, if I'm honest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all know i have a soft spot for victoria and usually write her in a positive light. but current canon victoria? victoria posner? yeah, she's dead to me.


	26. on the road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 26 – on the road

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yep, i'm aware that we're no longer in october. but i'm determined to finish off this series anyway!

The trip to Scotland was Robert’s idea, a little week-long getaway before the craziness of the Christmas season really kicked off. Perhaps it was slightly mad to travel further north in the middle of November, but they’d both agreed there was only so many times they could keep going back to Wales for their mini-breaks.

So Robert booked the hotels, Aaron packed their warmest clothes, and they set off in the car first thing on Monday morning. The plan was to drive up to the Highlands and spend a few days in the tranquility of the Isle of Skye, before coming back down towards Edinburgh and spending the last couple of nights in the city.

That was the _plan_ , anyway. But since Aaron had started complaining about half an hour after they crossed the Scottish border and had barely stopped since, Robert wasn’t entirely sure they were going to make it to their first destination without murdering each other.

“My arse is killing me,” Aaron moaned in the passenger seat, shuffling around uncomfortably. “How long till we hit the next rest stop?”

“About three minutes less than the last time you asked,” Robert replied through gritted teeth.

Aaron huffed and readjusted his legs, crossing them and uncrossing them for the hundredth time. He briefly tapped at his phone, scrolling through his social media before putting it away again. 

“Bored.”

“Play a game on your phone or something.”

“I can’t look at my phone anymore, it’s sending me cross-eyed.” 

“Look out the window, then.”

Aaron shot him a baffled look. “Sorry, do you think I’m Seb or summat?”

“Well you’re definitely acting like him.” Robert’s grumble was betrayed by the exasperated laugh that escaped his mouth. “We’re in one of the most beautiful parts of the UK – of the _world_ – nothing wrong with taking in the view.”

Aaron rolled his eyes but took Robert’s advice, his head lolling against the seat as he turned to stare at the lush green hills surrounding them.

“Suppose it’s pretty nice.”

“Wow, don’t hurt yourself.”

“Okay, it’s beautiful. Stunning. The most _amazing_ view I’ve ever laid eyes on,” Aaron laughed, eyes widening with exaggeration. “Happy now?”

“Ecstatic.”

They drove in silence for a few moments, until Robert sighed contentedly, eyes scanning over their surroundings.

“Dunno why it’s taken us so long to come to Scotland. I’ve always wanted to see the Highlands.”

“Right,” Aaron said, his face sceptical. “Do you actually mean _‘always’_ , or do you mean since you got into Outlander?”

“…Both?”

“Which you only started watching ’cos you fancied the posh brunette. Or was it the ginger bloke?”

“Again, both,” Robert said sheepishly, causing Aaron to chuckle. “But the plot’s really good, too!”

“Pfft, no it’s not.” Aaron waved a dismissive hand. “It’s literally the same thing every time you make me watch it – they’re always either shagging or one’s having to rescue the other from being kidnapped or something. And then they shag some more.”

“There’s also a lot of compelling historical drama,” Robert sniffed haughtily. “Maybe it’s not as highbrow as _Love Island_ but – ”

“Oh for God’s sake, it was _one episode_ , Rob, one.”

“One episode that I _caught_ you watching. Who knows how many more?”

“None! I just couldn’t find the remote that time!”

“A likely story. I bet you secretly binge it while I’m out.”

“Piss off.”

They bickered back and forth for a while, Robert laughing at Aaron’s outrage until he spotted a sign a few feet ahead of them.

“Look, next services are only 5 miles away. You can stretch your legs.” 

“Oh,” Aaron blinked in surprise. “That was quick.”

Robert hummed and stretched his aching back as best he could in the driver’s seat. Christ, he was getting old.

“I’m glad we’re getting away for a bit,” Aaron sighed, smiling at him. “Spend some time together, just us.”

Aaron always did this when they went away together; even if it was just for a day or two, he had to vocalise how happy he was to be there. Robert sometimes wondered if it was leftover feelings from the early days, when their time together was so limited – when _Robert’s_ time was so limited – and they had to fight for every stolen hour they got. 

He took a hand off the steering wheel to wrap it around Aaron’s, squeezing their fingers together.

“Me too.”


	27. half-written

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 27 – Half-written

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> super short one, but i just had to write a little something to celebrate. happy "trump's a loser" day, everyone!

Aaron’s about half an hour outside of the village when the BBC News app on his phone pings with a notification. He glances quickly at the screen, before pulling over into the nearest lay-by so he can check it properly. Within five seconds of scanning the words, his face is overtaken by a wide grin and he pulls up Robert’s contact.  His text is only half-written before he’s interrupted by a call from the man himself, and he abandons the message in favour of answering him.

“Hiya.”

“Hey, did you hear?”

Aaron can't help smiling at the smug glee in his husband’s voice.

“Yeah, just now.” He can hear the sounds of lighthearted cheering in the background. “Take it Jimmy and Nicola have seen it too, then?”

“Yeah, we all watched on my laptop. Nicola’s not stopped screaming about Kamala getting in. Think we’re gonna finish early and head to the pub so we can celebrate, maybe get a bottle of champers in.”

“Save a glass for me, I’m not far away.”

“Will do,” Robert says distractedly, before letting out a small chuckle. “Sorry, Jimmy’s just shown me a tweet; Trump says they’ll have to ‘drag him out of the White House kicking and screaming’, apparently.”

Aaron snorts. “Hope they film that, I’ll be watchin’ with popcorn.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. What a loser,” Robert says, still laughing. “Alright, I’ll let you go. Get back here quick, yeah?” 

“’Kay, see you in a bit. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Aaron hangs up and gets back on the road, still grinning from ear to ear.

Maybe 2020 wasn’t a total shitstorm after all.


	28. starlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 28 – starlight
> 
> set early in the affair era

When they quietly slip out of the barn door, the isolated spot is pitch black. The fields are bathed in darkness, the only faint light coming from the crescent moon above them.

“So,” Robert says, his voice hushed despite the fact that there’s no one around to hear him. He leans against the side of the barn and cocks his head invitingly. “You up for a repeat tomorrow night?”

Aaron raises an eyebrow and comes to stand next to him, relishing the warmth of Robert's shoulder bleeding into his.

“Disappearing two nights in a row? Pushing your luck a bit, aren’t you?”

“What’s life without a little risk, eh?” Robert smirks and whispers in Aaron’s ear. “I’m sure I can come up with something.”

Aaron’s eyes drift down to Robert’s lips, and then it’s like gravity. Despite the fact that they’ve just spent two hours together, he finds himself falling in and kissing Robert’s open mouth, body moving so that he’s got him trapped against the barn, their chests pressed together. They stay like that for a few minutes, lost in each other, until Robert eventually wrenches his mouth from Aaron's and rests their foreheads together, breathing heavily.

“I should go.”

Aaron lets out a noise that he hopes doesn’t sound too much like a whine. “Stay.”

“I can't, I've been gone ages.”

“Just a few more minutes, come on.”

Aaron's hands travel down Robert’s back, slipping beneath the waistband of his jeans and making him shiver with something Aaron knows isn’t just the cold.

“You’re killin' me,” he groans, dropping his head back until it hits the barn wall with a faint thump.

Aaron huffs a small laugh and nips along his jawline, before going in for another kiss. When Robert doesn’t move his head down to meet him, Aaron pulls away slightly and notices him staring up at the sky. Aaron briefly glances up, but doesn’t see anything.

“What’re you lookin’ at?”

“Nothing, just… you could never see the stars in London.”

Aaron blinks at him, before tipping his own head back so he’s looking at the stars, too. It’s a clear night so there are plenty of them in view, tiny specks of light dotted across the inky blackness.

“Probably the only thing I’ve missed about Emmerdale,” Robert adds, a hand coming up to absently stroke the fine hair on the back of Aaron’s neck.

Even as his eyelashes flutter at the touch, something unpleasant jolts through Aaron’s chest.

“That all this place has to offer for you, is it?” He mentally curses when what he'd intended to be snarky comes out as slightly hurt. “The natural beauty n'that?”

Robert eyes leave the stars at that, falling back down to gaze at Aaron for a long moment.

“No,” he breathes, mouth curling into a small smile. “Not all.”

Aaron can’t help smiling back, and pulls Robert closer so their noses bump together.

“Stay,” he whispers again. 

This time, Robert doesn’t resist.


	29. thunderstorm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 29 – thunderstorm

As they stood shivering in the schoolyard, Robert glanced above them.

“The heavens are gonna open any second now.”

Aaron tilted his head up to see dark clouds rapidly filling the sky, the wind picking up with every passing minute. They’d been getting weather warnings all day, broadcasters promising that tonight was guaranteed to bring a seriously wild storm their way.

Paddy was stuck on an overnight callout with some heavily-pregnant cows, and Aaron’s mum had called him about an hour ago to say that she didn't feel safe driving on the motorway in this weather, so she was stuck in… some hotel, she was pretty vague on the details. She’d told him she was away to meet with potential new suppliers, but between her terrible lying and the sound of an unexpected male voice in the background, Aaron suspected wherever his mother had gone had nothing to do with work.

Either way, Eve had no one to pick her up or look after her, so his mum had begged him to take her for the night – possibly the weekend. Like she needed to ask.

So now they were stood in their usual spot with the other parents at Hotten Primary, waiting to collect two kids instead of one. 

Just as the first few droplets of rain began to hit their cheeks, Eve came out of the doors, her eyes quickly scanning the yard until she spotted them and ran over, schoolbag swinging in the air. When she was just a few feet away from them, a violent gust of wind blew behind her, pushing her tiny body along the last few steps until she crashed into Aaron’s legs with a small _oof_.

“Windy,” she said, blinking up at them.

“Yeah, squirt.” Aaron took the bag from her before it blew right out of her hand.

“Is Mummy not coming?”

“Her and your Dad are both stuck because of the storm. They can’t come back just yet so you’re gonna stay with us tonight, okay?”

“'Kay,” she nodded, pushing her increasingly wild hair out of her eyes.

“Just need to wait for Seb, then we can get home and out of this crazy weather.”

As the three of them stood waiting for the Year 3's to come out, another, even stronger, gust of wind nearly sent Eve flying to one side; Robert snagging her by the hood of her coat was the only thing that stopped her from tumbling to the ground.

“Right.” He grabbed her securely by the waist and picked her up. “Think I’d better hold onto you before you actually blow away, missy.” 

“Wish Seb’d hurry up,” she mumbled, pulling her hood up and tucking her face into Robert’s neck, out of the stinging rain.

“Don’t we all?”

As much as Aaron adored his son, he was a notorious dawdler, always chatting to his teacher or messing around with his mates on his way outside. He’d take the rest of the afternoon to reach the school gates if he could.

Eventually, Seb made his way to the yard, surrounded by his usual gaggle of classmates. Any inclination he’d had to keep chatting to them was swiftly curbed by Aaron’s firm _get over here now_ gesture. He jogged over sheepishly, cramming a beanie on top of his head.

“You get lost or summat?” Aaron rolled his eyes fondly, taking his PE kit from him.

“I went to check if my art project was dry and – ”

“Yep, lovely, you can tell us all about it on the way home,” Robert grumbled, wrapping his free hand around Seb’s shoulder and ushering him towards the car. “We need to get inside before this storm kicks off properly.”

They all clambered in and set off, Robert navigating the usual school run traffic with practiced ease.

“Dad?” Seb asked after a few minutes of driving.

“Hm?”

“Miss Brooks told us this is gonna be the biggest storm Yorkshire’s had in more than _20 years_ ,” he said, wide-eyed. “The biggest since _2003_. Was that one really massive?” 

“It was, I remember it,” Robert nodded, flicking the windscreen wipers to faster setting. “New Year's Eve. It put a massive hole in the pub roof n’all.”

“ _My_ pub?” Eve chimed in, eyes turning even bigger than Seb’s.

“Yep, it caved right in. I didn’t see it happen though; I was living on the farm, and I had to help my dad get all the animals inside so they’d be safe.”

“Woah.” Seb sounded so impressed, Robert didn’t have the heart to mention that someone had unfortunately died as a result of said hole in the roof.

“2003. That's _so long_ ago,” Eve mused, fingertips following the paths of rainwater sliding down the window. “Years and years and – ”

“Yes, okay,” Robert said loudly. “I feel ancient now, thanks for that.”

Eve and Seb just laughed, like the demon spawn they both were.

“Do you remember the storm too, Dad?” Seb asked, a hand over his mouth failing to suppress the grin on his face.

“Nah, I wasn’t living in the village then,” Aaron smirked. “Was a bit before my time, I’m a lot younger than Old Man Sugden over here.”

“How old _are_ you, Rob?”

“50,” Seb said with a snort.

“100!”

“ _150!_ "

“Kids, come on, he’s not a day over 72,” Aaron drawled, only to yelp when Robert briefly took a hand off the steering wheel to swipe at him, which only made the backseat passengers cackle even harder. 

The laughter was suddenly cut short, however, when a wayward tree branch hit the bonnet with a loud _bang_ , before bouncing off onto the road.

Robert swore and jerked the car in surprise, before quickly regaining control and continuing down the road in silence, hands gripping the wheel tightly. 

Aaron glanced back to see both Seb and Eve’s smiles had been replaced with slightly nervous looks, Eve biting her bottom lip anxiously.

“It’s okay.” He quickly reached a hand back to pat her knee reassuringly. “It was just a tiny branch, practically a twig, nothing to worry about. We’ll be home soon.”

By the time they arrived in the village, the rain was lashing down, pelting the roof of the car so loudly they struggled to hear themselves talk. There was hardly anyone outside, and the few that were looked like they were quickly retreating indoors. They passed Leyla leaving her office with her head down, tottering unsteadily on her stiletto heels, and David and Jacob quickly pulling potted plants and buckets of umbrellas back into the safety of the shop. 

As they pulled onto the drive, the ominous first sounds of thunder could be heard rumbling overhead.

“Okay, inside, go go go!”

The four of them scrambled out of the car and dashed towards the house, Robert fumbling with the keys to unlock the door.

“In your own time,” Aaron grouched, hunching over to shield the kids from the worst of it as best he could.

“Hang on, I can’t feel my bloody fingers.”

Eventually, he managed to get the key in the lock and they burst into the warmth of the house, already drenched in the brief minute it had taken to get inside.

“C-cold,” Seb shivered, peeling off his sodden hat and jacket and dropping them on the rug.

“So cold you forgot how to use a coat peg?” Robert said exasperatedly, picking it up. “Why don’t you two go upstairs and have a couple of nice, hot showers while I get tea started? Eve, you can use mine and Aaron's bathroom, if you want? Aaron’ll help you turn the taps on.”

“Can I use your fancy shower gel?”

Robert sighed and ruffled her damp hair. “If you must.”

Eve grinned and began to follow Seb up the stairs, only to freeze at a flash of lightning.

“The storm won’t put a hole in _this_ roof, will it?”

“You think Robert would let that happen?” Aaron smiled at her. “Nah, we built our place to be extra strong,” 

“Storm-proof, even,” Robert added from the kitchen.

“See? We’re safe as houses in here, I promise. Go on upstairs, I’ll be there in a minute, yeah?”

Seemingly satisfied, Eve nodded and carried on up the stairs. They heard the sound of her feet running along the landing, presumably to what was unofficially dubbed as “her room”, since she spent so much time in it, before the door gently clicked shut.

“What’s for tea?” Aaron sighed, padding over to the kitchen and hooking his chin over Robert’s shoulder.

Robert hummed and leaned back against his chest while he chopped some veg. “Shepherd’s pie, should warm the kids up.”

“So domestic, you,” Aaron grinned, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck. “I just hope the power doesn’t go out tonight.”

“Me too, otherwise we’ll have to keep them entertained the old-fashioned way.”

“What’s the old-fashioned way?”

“Er… how good are you at shadow puppets?”

A minute later, Seb came downstairs to find his dad frantically plugging every laptop and tablet into its charger.


	30. you had to be there

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 30 – you had to be there

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by this gifset: https://rememberingrobertsugden.tumblr.com/post/180827158744

On the evening of the 16th November, Aaron entered the Mill as fast as his legs would carry him.

Today was the anniversary of Sarah Sugden's death. The mother-in-law he never got to meet. 

They’d been to the graveyard that morning to lay some flowers, Robert as quiet and distant as he always was on this date. Aaron stood by his side with an arm around his waist, before stepping back and giving him a bit of time with her. A few minutes later, Robert had come back to him, wiping his cheeks, and they drove to work, where Aaron had fully intended to stay with Robert all day.  Unfortunately, both Vinny and Paul had failed to show up for work _again_ that afternoon (Aaron really had to get around to hiring better staff) and as a result, he was stuck taking over their scrap run.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” He’d asked Robert, hesitating by his husband’s desk. “I can call this bloke, sack it off.”

“Don’t be daft,” Robert waved him off, even as his eyes were clouded with a heavy sadness that made Aaron’s heart pang with worry. “I’ll be alright.”

“You’re sure? I don’t like leaving you alone.”

“ _Yes._ ” Robert sighed, looking fond despite everything. “I'm fine, honestly. I’m nearly done here anyway, I’ll be going home in about 10 minutes. I’ll see you later, yeah?”

Aaron sighed, before leaning down to press a quick kiss to his forehead.

“Okay, see you later. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

There was never anything Aaron could do to take the pain of this day away, however much he might want to, but what he _could_ do was be there. He could be there whether Robert wanted to sit in silence, whether he wanted to distract himself with work, whether he wanted to go out to the pub and be around other people, whether he wanted to curl up in bed and sleep through the whole day. Whether he wanted to talk about her, smile about her, cry about her.

Whatever Robert needed, Aaron would be there. For as long as they’d been together, he'd been there for every 16th November, and he intended to be there for the rest of them, no matter what.

So three hours later, he may or may not have broken a few speed limits getting back home as quickly as possible. He walked through the door to the faint smell of smoke and the sight of Robert sitting hunched at the kitchen table, chin propped on his folded arms.

Aaron approached slowly.  “Er, hiya.”

“Hey.” Robert was staring blankly at a baking tray in front of him, which was filled with something very black and very burnt.

“What’s that?”

“It was supposed to be a carrot cake.”

“Oh.” Aaron looked down at the charred remains of the sponge. “Looks more like my cooking, this.”

A brief smile flickered across Robert’s face, and he sat up properly.

“Mum used to make it. Over and over again. She was a brilliant baker, but she could never get carrot cake right for some reason. Turns out I’m not much better,” he sighed, fiddling with the tea towel in his hands.  “It’s only good for the ponies now.”

Aaron frowned. “For the…?”

“S’what Mum used to joke that – never mind.” Robert shook his head, and Aaron could see him clamming up right in front of his eyes. “It’s daft, you probably had to be there.”

“No, go on.” He sank into the seat next to Robert's, taking his coat off. “I wanna hear.”

“It’s just – just what she'd say when one of her bakes went wrong. ‘Oh well, another cake for the ponies.’ And that’s what we’d do, feed it to them, or any of the animals on the farm, really. They ended up with so much carrot cake, I used to tell her they must be fed up with it.”

Robert huffed a small laugh and folded the tea towel in half, before laying it on the table. 

“One of my earliest memories of her, I think.”

“It’s a nice one,” Aaron said quietly, covering Robert’s hand with his own. 

Robert just hummed, gesturing to the baking tray. 

“I thought it might make me feel better.” 

“Did it?”

Robert didn’t answer for a moment, before shrugging.  “Didn’t make me feel worse.”

Aaron nodded, before grabbing the fork that lay next to the tray and picking at the sponge.

“Don’t bother, it’s a mess.”

“Nah, look.” Aaron dug into it and pushed back the burnt top. “It’s alright underneath.”

He popped a mouthful of still-warm cake into his mouth. “Well, you get zero marks for presentation but the inside tastes fine.”

He got another forkful and held it out towards Robert. “Honestly, try it.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Robert leaned forwards and took a bite. He chewed slowly, before his eyebrows flying up in surprise.

“Oh. Not bad, actually.”

“Told you,” Aaron smiled, before getting another fork from the cutlery drawer and passing it over.

They ate their way through the edible parts of the cake for a few minutes, playfully fighting with their forks over the best-looking bits.

“It's 20 years this year,” Robert said eventually, voice hushed.

“I know,” Aaron replied, dropping his voice down to match Robert's, gentle.

“Doesn't feel like it, though.” He put his fork down and sighed, shoulders slumped.  “I miss her.” 

“I know,” Aaron repeated, hand on Robert's again, squeezing this time.

At some point, they gravitated from the kitchen to the living room, tangled up together on the sofa.

“Maybe you could do some baking with Seb when he’s next here,” Aaron said after a quiet half hour, fingers carding through Robert's hair. “And if the cake gets burnt again, we can take him to feed it  to the animals at Wishing Well. Sam and Lydia'd be chuffed.”

He felt Robert smile against his chest. “Yeah. That’d be nice.”


	31. make me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 31 – make me
> 
> inspired by this gorgeous danny miller gifset: https://softlass27.tumblr.com/post/633425578335354880/danny-%E3%83%BE%E0%B9%91-%E0%B9%91

Robert noticed it when they were in a restaurant, a tucked-away Italian that the two of them were trying out for date night. As he sipped from his glass of wine and perused the menu in front of him, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, and looked up to see Aaron bringing his own menu increasingly close to his face.

“You alright there?”

Aaron was practically squinting by this point, creased lines deepening across his forehead. “It's so dark in here, I can barely read this. Honestly, who decided restaurants had to be lit by candles instead of normal lights, like we’re in the bloody Dark Ages?”

Robert glanced down at his own menu lying on the table, the words perfectly clear and legible to him, before glancing back up at Aaron. Now that he thought about it, he’d seen him holding the newspaper in a similar way the other day. And his phone practically under his nose on a few occasions – Robert had even joked about him getting square eyes if held it any closer.

“Aaron.”

“Hm?”

“When was the last time you had your eyes checked?”

Aaron lowered the menu to frown at him.  “Why?”

“Just tell me.”

“Uh, never?”

“What, seriously? You’ve _never_ had an eye test?”

Aaron shrugged. “No? Why would I?”

“Uh, I think you should.”

“Why?”

Robert bit his lip, fighting a smirk at his husband's obliviousness. “Because you can’t see.”

“Don’t be daft,” Aaron scoffed and took a swig of his beer. “I can see fine.”

“If you can’t read that menu, you probably need glasses.”

“I told you, it’s dark in ’ere!”

“Then how come I can read it and you can’t?”

“It’s… lighter on your side of the table.”

Robert huffed an incredulous laugh. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And you’re annoying, but I don’t go on about it, do I?”

“Er, only every day.” Robert rolled his eyes, before pointing at the words on Aaron’s menu. “Spaghetti bolognese, ravioli, lasagna, carbonara – ”

“Alright, point taken,” Aaron snapped, arms folded. “Wanna just order for me, since you’re so clever?” 

Robert smirked and signalled a waiter, before confidently ordering starters and mains for the pair of them.

“I _can’t_ need glasses,” Aaron pouted when the waiter left the table.

“Why not?”

“Well, _you_ don’t need them yet.”

“So?”

“So _,_ you’re the old one in this relationship, not me.”

“… Just for that, you’re not getting dessert tonight.”

*

A few days later, Aaron came home from Hotten, a Specsavers bag swinging from his hand.

“So?” Robert jumped up from the sofa. “What's the verdict?”

“Reading glasses,” Aaron said, holding the bag up. “The optician said it’s just for when I’m using the laptop or reading a book, that sort of thing.”

“A book? Fat chance of that,” Robert snorted, before snatching the bag from him and taking the case out eagerly. “Come on then, let’s see.”

Aaron gave him an odd look. “You’re… weirdly excited about this.”

“I just want to see what they’re like, I can’t picture you with glasses.”

Aaron sighed, before taking the case, opening it up and slipping the new glasses on. They were quite large, but stylish, with wide lenses and thick, black frames.

“What d’you think?”

Robert stared for a moment, before reaching out to gently touch the sleek temples. “Wow.”

“What?” Aaron readjusted them, a little self-conscious. “Do they look bad?”

“Bad?” Robert shot him an incredulous look. “They’re _gorgeous_.”

“Oh.” Aaron blinked at him through the lenses, taken aback. “Really?”

“Are you kidding? They look great, they really suit you.”

“Yeah? They’re not… I dunno, too big? Feels like they’re taking over my whole face.”

“Nah, they’re perfect. You need big glasses for your big head.”

The smile dropped from Aaron’s face and he smacked Robert on the chest. “Oi, I haven’t got a _big head_ , you – ” 

Robert laughed and cut Aaron off mid-rant with a kiss, delighting in the feeling of the frames pressing into his cheek.

“I’m only messing,” he said against Aaron’s lips. “You look fit as fuck.”

“Think you might be a bit biased, there,” Aaron replied, but Robert could feel his mouth curling into a pleased smile.

“Nope, just observant. And my eyes are better than yours, so I know what I’m talking about.” Robert grabbed Aaron's hand and started tugging him along. “Come upstairs and I’ll show you how much I like them.”

“What, you gonna make me wear them in bed?” Aaron asked, eyes crinkled in amusement as he followed Robert towards the staircase. 

“Absolutely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT IS FINISHED


End file.
